Movie with Abe: A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop

A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop
Directed by Zhang Yimou
Released September 3, 2010

Remaking a Coen brothers film (their first, no less) is no easy task. This effort is comparable to transposing “Infernal Affairs,” which was made in Hong Kong, to a Western setting and recreating it as the enormously successful “The Departed.” It takes a talented director and a dedicated team of actors to successfully re-envision an idea in a new filmic climate. It’s rare that American movies are remade in other countries and actually make it back over to the United States, but this one has done just that. The combination of a talented, versatile director, a sharp cast, and a crew committed to stunning visuals and colors works enormously well to create a worthwhile adaptation that stands on its own.

Zhang Yimou has directed a number of films, including “Curse of the Golden Flower,” “House of Flying Daggers,” and “Hero,” that have received international acclaim and had success in the United States. His latest film feels much like his past works, with an important difference: this is a rich examination of a few characters without the backdrop of a legion of soldiers or other populace. A band of police officers arrives from time to time, but their number is no more than a dozen, and therefore this remains an intimate, personal experience. The film’s clever title accounts for a few of the main characters, and also underlines the importance of both the gun and the noodle shop.

“A Woman, A Gun, and a Noodle Shop” centers on a noodle shop owner who hires a corrupt cop to off his cheating wife and the noodle shop employee with whom she has been having an affair. It’s that straightforward premise that, like any Coen brothers movie, quickly takes a leap from the safe and the simple to the terribly troublesome and darkly dangerous. Most of the film takes place at night, when one character or another could well be the only one awake at that time, free to manipulate the world around them as they see fit.

Yimou’s film is built on suspense, and in proper tribute to the Coen brothers, it’s an equally funny and unnerving experience. The comedy stems both from the ridiculousness of the characters themselves and the comic nature of how little each of them actually knows about the events that are transpiring. The audience only has a bit more information, and it’s that discrepancy that makes this a frantically engaging and compelling experience. There’s little true intelligence to be found in this film, and that’s it’s most brilliant asset.

B+

Thursday Theatre Review: AMC Loews 19th St East 6

Weekly to a new feature here at Movies with Abe, Thursday Theatre Review. As a resident of one of the world’s foremost movie capitals, I’ve been to a number of movie theatres in New York City and have developed preferences. There’s no perfect theatre, but there are a few things that can make or break a movie-going experience. In no particular order, this is a guide to movie theatres in Manhattan.

AMC Loews 19th St East 6

Location: This theatre is just north of Union Square at the intersection of 19th St and Broadway, with very little around it besides furniture and luggage stores. Its proximity to Union Square is really all that’s important, so it’s pretty decently accessible.

Pricing: Standard tickets are $13 (surcharge for 3-D and IMAX). Like other AMC theatres, all showtimes before noon, seven days a week, are only $6. Pre-purchased discount passes, which are either $6.50 or $8, depending on how new the film is, are also accepted.

Film selection: Usually pretty good. There are sometimes independent offerings, and I’ve seen movies like “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Fountain” here. Sometimes movies are also playing after they’ve left most theatres, like “A Serious Man” was after a couple of months. The negative is that, if a movie is playing at the Regal Union Square, it won’t be playing at this AMC. Additionally, the selection is usually almost the same as that of the AMC Loews Village 7. Currently showing: “Dinner for Schmucks,” “Eat Pray Love,” “Lottery Ticket,” and “Salt,” and “Step Up 3-D.”

Drawbacks: The $6 before noon feature isn’t so helpful because this theatre often doesn’t have any showtimes before noon on weekends! Also, it has only six auditoriums, so there are never too many movies playing there.

Bonus features: None, really.

Worth the trip? If the showtimes are convenient. When I lived on 16th & Union Square West, this theatre was remarkably close but I hardly ever went there because it just didn’t have the right movies playing. It’s a fine theatre, but it doesn’t offer anything particularly unique.

Wednesday Oscar Retrospective: The Deadlocked Duel of 2002

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Retrospective. The Deadlocked Duel is the fourth in a series of projects looking back at the past eight years of the Oscars, dating back to the first ceremony I watched and closely followed.

Each year after the Oscar nominations are announced, there’s at least one category where two nominees end up in a heated battle for the award right up until Oscar night, dividing predictors and keeping Oscar watchers anxiously in suspense. This series is devoted to analyzing the biggest and most intense of those battles each year, in any category.

The Deadlocked Duel of 2002:

Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) vs. Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt)
**Note for those who are paying attention: I did in fact skip 2003 since there really wasn’t a duel that occurred aside from everything vs. “The Return of the King.” I chose to move on to this year because it was much more interesting. If you disagree, please say so in the comments.

The background: Day-Lewis was an accomplished actor who had made fewer than fifteen films in his twenty-year career, and had won an Oscar for his 1989 performance in “My Left Foot,” receiving a second nod in 1993 for “In the Name of the Father.” His previous film was 1997’s “The Boxer.” Nicholson was a three-time champ, winning in 1975, 1983, and 1997, with eleven nominations total. Day-Lewis had created one of the most intense, memorable characters of his career, while Nicholson was finally playing his age.

Why it was just the two of them: Both Michael Caine and Nicolas Cage were Oscar winners already as well. Caine’s film didn’t garner much attention aside from his performance, and all the buzz for “Adaptation” was for costars Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Adrien Brody was a relative newcomer with his first major lead role.

Setting the stage: Nicholson started off strong when he won the Golden Globe at a ceremony where his film was up for five awards, including Best Picture (it also took home Best Screenplay). Day-Lewis’ movie was honored for Martin Scorsese’s direction and U2’s song. Day-Lewis then took the lead, winning the BAFTA and the SAG. When Oscar nominations were announced, Nicholson and costar Kathy Bates earned their film’s only nominations, while “Gangs of New York” scored ten nominations.

Oscar night: In one of the biggest upsets in recent Oscar history, Adrien Brody, who had previously won two critics’ awards and nothing else, scored the win. He was so excited that he even made out with Halle Berry on stage. Brody accomplished an incredible feat: a first-time nominee beating out four Oscar winners. “The Pianist” also scored major upsets for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and some believe that it came close to winning Best Picture as well.

Consolation prize for the loser: None at the time. Bates lost too, and “Gangs of New York” lost all nine of its other bids. Day-Lewis would have the chance to take home his second Oscar five years later without any real competition for “There Will Be Blood,” and Nicholson has managed to have some great roles in films like “Something’s Gotta Give” and “The Departed.”

Other notable duels: Meryl Streep (Adaptation) vs. Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago) for Best Supporting Actress

That’s a wrap for the Deadlocked Duel series, and possibly even the Wednesday Oscar Retrospective, for now at last. Stay tuned on future Wednesdays for reviews, and at some point soon (based on releases each week), a return of the Wednesday Oscar Watch.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Red

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Red – Opening October 15, 2010



This trailer, which I saw before an ill-advised Sunday morning showing of “The Other Guys,” seems like the kind of movie that no one would think to make but pretty much everyone would enjoy. Uniting a cast of older actors with stalled careers (John Malkovich and Bruce Willis) and thriving ones (Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman) as well as a handful of fun supporting stars of all ages, including Mary-Louise Parker, Julian McMahon, Brian Cox, James Remar, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ernest Borgnine, is a brilliantly hilarious way of creating an ensemble for a film whose title stands for “Retired, Extremely Dangerous.” The title might seem like a punch line all by itself, but it’s a funny one, and by the looks of this trailer, it should be a real hoot as a whole movie. The fact that it comes from DC Entertainment means that it should have a fun comic book spin to it, and plenty of action scenes to delight all viewers (like a classier version of the already quite good “The Losers”). Unfortunately, it’s only rated PG-13, but hopefully that means more of an emphasis on comedy than overly grotesque action. I especially like the use of John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker in this trailer. Bruce Willis has played this kind of role before, and having this cast behind him should help his up his game a bit. I’m continually flabbergasted by the fact that this film is actually being made, and I doubt I’m alone in saying that I’m excited for it. Your thoughts?

Monday Movie You Aught to See: The Butterfly Effect

Regardless of whether the decade ended already ended in 2009 or will end at the close of the current year, the 2000s were a wonderful period of cinema with many treasures that deserve to be remembered. Check in at Movies with Abe on Mondays for Movies You Aught to See, a look back at memorable movies from the aughts. They are posted in no particular order, and if you have a great film from the 2000s that you think merits consideration, leave a note in the comments!

The Butterfly Effect
Directed by Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber
Released January 23, 2004



This isn’t a movie that you’ll find on too many critics’ lists. This dark tale of a man who realizes he can change his past by reading his journals and flashing back to blackouts from his childhood is much better than most will tell you. Ashton Kutcher’s performance is nowhere as bad as others will have you believe, and Amy Smart is pretty terrific in her many iterations of Kutcher’s long-lost love. What’s truly fascinating, however, is the way this movie is put together, creating alternate realities as often as Kutcher’s Evan can concoct them by going back to try and help someone. It contains some of the most messed-up kids you’ll see on film, but also one of the most intriguing looks at time travel and its consequences. It’s certainly worth giving a fair shot.

Movie with Abe: Highwater

Highwater
Directed by Dana Brown
Released August 27, 2010

There’s a momentous culture built around surfing and the annual Triple Crown competition in Oahu. For those without the desire to stand on the beach and watch the contest or without the means to travel to Hawaii, “Highwater” provides an introduction to this world that has deep ties with honor, kinship, and Hawaiian culture. The film begins by wading in slowly to the story, and carefully and tactfully immerses viewers in this unparalleled experience of riding waves and living a lifestyle. It’s the kind of entry that only gradually becomes apparent, and by the end of the film it’s possible to comprehend (at least somewhat) and feel the excitement of this cool craft.

Director Dana Brown, who previously made another surfing film, “Step into Liquid,” composes “Highwater” in an oddly semi-linear way. The chronology of the competition is roughly followed, but each new event presents the opportunity for a new tangent, to profile an underdog competitor or mourn the tragic loss of a surfer in the midst of doing what he loved. It’s a somewhat dizzying experience because it feels like there’s so much to learn (and to remember). The cast of characters is enormously large, and many of the surfers are still nameless faces by the end of the film. Yet Brown has chosen to tackle a difficult and broad subject, and he pares down his findings admirably in a way that showcases what he finds to be the most worthwhile and compelling elements of the competition and the culture. It makes the experience more accessible, because it feels like the audience is being guided not by a professional but rather by an enthusiast parsing out the most significant and comprehensible details.

Those with an aversion to surfing shouldn’t fear too much when it comes to this film, since elongated shots of the athletes performing and perfecting their craft are recurring but infrequent. It’s the personalities of the surfers and their particular styles that interest Brown, and therefore serve as the attracting force for his audience. Even if the film doesn’t flood me with an overwhelming desire or drive to book a plane ticket to Hawaii to catch this event, it does help to provide a newly developed appreciation for this quasi-sport, quasi-art form, and that’s something I wasn’t expecting when I sat down to watch it. Movies that surprise you in any way deserve some commendation, and I’d consider this a pretty decent documentary.

B+

Movie with Abe: I Am Love (Capsule Review)

I Am Love
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Released June 18, 2010



This film came out in New York City way back in June, and I managed to catch it still playing at the AMC Loews 72nd St (my first time at that theatre) three weeks ago. It continues to play at that theatre this weekend, so if you’re in the mood for a nice work of art, check it out. In lieu of a proper review due mostly to time constraints and lack of concrete memory of the film, I’d like to instead present the trailer above and cite a few positive elements. “Io Sono L’Amore” is a masterful Italian film that features a coherent plot wrapped up delicately in a gorgeous story of love, food, and family. It’s the definition of an art film, but one that finds itself commendably grounded in reality. It features beautiful scenery, colors that pop, food that inspires, and most importantly, a magnificent performance from the incomparable Tilda Swinton, just as stunning in Italian as she is in English. If you’ve had the opportunity to see this film, please share your thoughts in the comments. If not, watch the trailer and sample just a taste of what “I Am Love” has to offer.

B+

*I neglected to include any mention of the film's beautiful score when I first wrote this review. As a result, please accept as a testament to its greatness a link to this montage (found on YouTube) set to the movie's soundtrack.

Movie with Abe: Centurion

Centurion
Directed by Neil Marshall
Released August 27, 2010

If you’ve seen one of the posters for “Centurion” and wondered if the clever comic book imagery meant that this was an extremely sleek, stylish, animated adventure that might break cinematic ground, think again. This brainless action blockbuster is as trite as they come, attempting to mimic “Gladiator” or the recent “Robin Hood” reboot (basically any Russell Crowe film not set in the present day) and failing miserably. And it’s not as if Michael Fassbender, who turned in masterful performances in “Inglourious Basterds” and “Fish Tank,” is no Russell Crowe. This is a film that flunks purely on its failure to offer anything in the way of either logic or intrigue.

This movie makes a mess of itself only moments after it gets started. After an admittedly energetic and exciting opening sequence, protagonist and centurion Quintus Dias, played by Fassbender, is seen running through a wintery field from his captors. His jagged and uneven escape route is very much indicative of the inanity and senselessness of the film. There’s also an unexplained obsession with gratuitous, entirely unnecessary violence. No body part is spared when it comes to gouging and horrendous, overdone displays of blood and gore are ever-present. What did people do in the olden days? From this film, it appears all they did was thought of gruesome ways of killing each other.

This is the kind of movie that has been made over and over so many times that it seems as if there’s nothing left to tell and nothing left to be discovered. This film follows the “300” model of thin plotting swapped out in favor of a meaningless excess of violence. It’s not merely the same poor interpretation of and representation of history, but also the same style of filmmaking, where stories and characters’ names pale in importance when compared with folklore and legend. A particularly pathetic villain in “Centurion” is Etain, whose horrific dye job is just as frightening as her ability to track the hapless centurions on the run from who knows what. A visit to a local witch is the obvious way to postpone inevitable conflict with this huntress, and therefore the centurions give in to their wildest imaginations in order to attempt to defeat their foes. If this explanation seems like it lacks clarity, that’s because the film is entirely devoid of intelligence. The plot in a nutshell is remarkably and even shockingly simplistic, yet 97 minutes of screen time are wasted trying to tell and make it as violent as (in)humanly possible.

F