Home Video with Abe: Wild Target (Capsule Review)

Wild Target
Directed by Jonathan Lynn
Released October 29, 2010



Browsing for a film to watch on Saturday night, I found this crime comedy available from Netflix Instant Streaming. This wacky film follows three characters brought together in one parking garage, as veteran assassin Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy) fails to take out his latest target, con woman Rose (Emily Blunt), and instead saves her from her fate while the innocent Tony (Rupert Grint) is nearly caught in the crossfire. The trio makes for an absolutely entertaining bunch, as the tightly-wound, suit-sporting Victor emphasizes order and tradition, the flirtatious Rose steals anything and everything she sees, and the kindly Tony is simply mesmerized by the events going on around him. Nighy is fun, Blunt is charming, and Grint proves he can do more than play Ron Weasley. They’re joined in the cast by Rupert Everett as the gangster who put a hit out on Rose, Martin Freeman and Gregor Fisher as two of his hit men, and Eileen Atkins as Victor’s rather committed mother. The movie is sleek and stylish, but more importantly, it’s a blast. If anything, it’s a bit fleeting and light, but overall, it’s an enjoyable experience and definitely something worth watching on Netflix.

B+

Home Video with Abe: Solitary Man (Capsule Review)

Solitary Man
Directed by Brian Koppelman & David Levien
Released May 21, 2010

Last year, Michael Douglas returned to the big screen to reprise his role as classic character Gordon Gekko. It turns out that Gekko wasn’t the only power-hungry, ally-alienating personality that Douglas played in 2010. “Solitary Man,” which is available via Netflix Instant Streaming, is the story of Ben Kalmen, a car dealer whose unscrupulous business practices and promiscuous ways have distanced him from anyone he might previously have called his friends. It’s a lonely tale of a man who has made mistakes and refuses to acknowledge them, destined to repeat his errors until he learns his lesson. It’s a decently familiar but equally engaging drama with enough light moments to make it bearable, with a number of fine performances in it. Douglas could play this part in his sleep, and he doesn’t require any support to guide the film. No other actor has near as prominent a role, but they all play their bit parts to great effect, including Danny DeVito, Mary-Louise Parker, Susan Sarandon, Richard Schiff, Anastasia Griffith, David Costabile, and Jesse Eisenberg. Jenna Fischer, who plays Ben’s daughter, needs better and more sophisticated movie roles. This film isn’t a must-see, but it’s a worthwhile and strong drama.

B

Oscar Nominee: Dogtooth

Dogtooth
Directed by Giorgos Lanthimos
Released June 25, 2010

This year’s Oscar submission and nominee for Best Foreign Film from the country of Greece is easily the most captivating film of the year. This tale of three adult children who have been sheltered and lied to all their lives to think that the entire world accessible to them is contained in their family’s property boundaries is a unique, fascinating exploration of human behavior. Marvelously acted and even more diligently and carefully directed, “Dogtooth” is an astonishing portrait of a family way beyond dysfunctional that is consistently captivating from start to finish, and long after the film has ended.

Everything in the world that exists within “Dogtooth” is artificial, and therefore making the film feel organic and believable is a considerable challenge. Yet the film succeeds with flying colors, thanks mostly to the amazingly committed performances by all the cast members, including the rebellious elder daughter (Aggeliki Papoulia), the more submissive younger daughter (Mary Tsoni), the loyal son (Hristos Passalis), the subservient mother (Michele Valley), the commanding father (Christos Stergioglou), and the woman who has the misfortune of coming into their very closeted lives to provide the son with a sexual companion (Anna Kalaitzidou). There is no weak link in this ensemble, and these actors work hard to ensure that their relationships with their family members make sense given their unconventional existence.

This is a film where strong production values and a stunning script come together to form an extremely well-rounded product. Most of the scenes are rather long, proceeding at a tepid pace to fully flesh out the emotions, more often than not suppressed, of the personages involved. Stark art direction helps to create color codes for emotions and intensity of scenes. There’s one particularly memorable and haunting scene towards the end of the film where the eldest daughter demonstrates her own energy and yearning to be free through an intensely-choreographed dance sequence inspired by “Flashdance” set to a far slower, more melodic score played on the guitar by her brother. The film is full of similarly hypnotic, thought-provoking moments, making this one foreign entry that should not be missed.

A-

Movie with Abe: Country Strong

Country Strong
Directed by Shana Feste
Released January 7, 2011

In 2009, Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for playing alcoholic singer Bad Blake. This 2010 Oscar qualifier seemed at face value like it might be a fairly similar story, with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Kelly Canter swapped in for Blake as the protagonist. While both films do have recognizably alike roots, this is an altogether different experience. Whereas Blake incurred the admiration of one small-town reporter, Canter is mobbed by thousands of fans, who support her despite a horrific drunken incident midway through a concert that landed her in rehab. Canter’s journey back towards her better days happens entirely in the public eye, and seeing behind the curtain in the film provides an even greater understanding of the character and her struggles.

In many ways, Canter isn’t even the central character of “Country Strong.” The film’s title comes from a song crooned by Canter at her big concert, but it can be read as applicable to the entire country music scene. Heavily featured in the film along with Canter are her husband James (Tim McGraw), who seems far more concerned with advancing her (and as a result, his) career than caring for the emotional needs of his wife, and two budding stars, Beau Hutton and Chiles Stanton. Beau (Garrett Hedlund) is a mild-mannered, kindly musician with no aspirations of fame or glory; just a simple appreciation of the art of music and hometown performance. Chiles (Leighton Meester) is a beauty queen with a mild case of stage fright eager to become the next big star. The story of Beau and Chiles and their immersion into the world of country music is a major piece of “Country Strong,” and it’s perhaps its most compelling asset.

The performances in “Country Strong” help to lend it a great deal of intimacy and authenticity. As with the structure of the film, it’s not the decent enough performances from Paltrow and McGraw in the arguably lead roles that carry the film. Instead, it’s the strong turns from Hedlund, who first appeared on the screen as Brad Pitt’s cousin Patroclus in the disappointing 2004 film “Troy,” and Meester, impressing far more than in her role on the CW’s “Gossip Girl,” that give the film its heart. Its broader story may be familiar, but this particular tale manages to be engaging and endearing. It’s not a perfect film, as evidenced by some of the lackluster and often trite dialogue found throughout the film. Yet it’s a surprisingly good music film with some terrific songs and an appropriate balance between music and drama.

B

Movie with Abe: Another Year

Another Year
Directed by Mike Leigh
Released December 29, 2010

It’s fascinating to hear director Mike Leigh talk explain the way he makes movies. The six-time Oscar nominee creates characters and trains his actors to live and breath like the people they’re playing, constructing his own version of the script in his head as he goes along. After months of working with their characters, Leigh throws his actors together and builds a film. Often, his actors don’t even know what is supposed to happen next, making their performances all the more authentic. It may seem strange, but it’s a proven success given the extraordinary achievement of his many films, not least of which is his latest, “Another Year.”

It’s extremely difficult to summarize the plot of “Another Year,” and a viewing of the trailer doesn’t help matters much. Yet that’s exactly what Leigh is all about, crafting extraordinarily lifelike characters and then placing them into situations that aren’t nearly as crucial to the story as the definitions of their personalities. “Another Year” is an appropriate title because this is a simply a given year in the lives of these characters, and it’s the people that make it interesting rather than the sequence of events. For a film without a specific plot, this is an incredibly engaging experience full of realistic, believable conversations.

Leigh has a history of working with the same actors, often spotlighting one or two in a given film after they’ve played bit parts in his previous efforts. Last up was the wonderful Sally Hawkins, who does not appear here, in “Happy-Go-Lucky,” and before that, the incredible Imelda Staunton in “Vera Drake.” Staunton appears in just two short scenes in “Another Year,” but easily makes her mark. It’s often hard to distinguish between the lead players and the bit players, and that’s what makes a performance like that of Karina Fernandez as Katie, who is merely a tangential character, so surprisingly memorable. Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen are marvelous as a couple whose names happen to be Tom and Gerri, but the real find of this film is Lesley Manville, in her sixth collaboration with Leigh. Manville delivers one of the strongest performances of the year as the self-involved, blissfully ignorant but kind-hearted Mary, who attempts to live out her life through the happiness of others. The ensemble functions terrifically, and it’s difficult to classify all of the players as lead or supporting because no one is trying to steal the show and everyone is performing admirably. This film may not be constructed in the most typical fashion, but it’s entirely heartwarming and endearing, and ranks as one of this year’s best films.

B+

Movie with Abe: Biutiful

Biutiful
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Released December 29, 2010

Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu knows how to do tragedy. His Oscar-winning “Babel” is an extraordinarily difficult, tough portrait of pain and suffering as experienced by a few select individuals around the world. His underrated 2003 film, “21 Grams,” is entirely depressing and just as powerful, demonstrating just how much loss can affect multiple people. After working in the United States and collaborating with screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, Inarritu returns to his native country of Mexico to make his latest affecting downer, the heart-wrenching and enormously effective “Biutiful.”

The title of “Biutiful” is best likened to that of “The Pursuit of Happyness,” a misspelling that comes from a child’s mind in an attempt to demonstrate his or her intelligence. That naming of the film is very telling of its focus. Uxbal (Javier Bardem) is a man struggling with trying to take care of his young children and prevent them from being overly influenced by his self-destructive wife, while at the same time earning a living by exploiting illegal immigrants and dealing with a grim cancer diagnosis. It’s clear that Uxbal is deeply dedicated to his children, yet he is being pulled in so many different directions that it’s difficult for him to focus and often impossible for him to devote as much time and attention to them as is necessary.

“Biutiful” is a complex, moving story carried by the performance of Javier Bardem. It’s refreshing to see Bardem follow up his Oscar-winning turn in “No Country for Old Men” with this kind of role after his effortless comic performance in Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Bardem, returning to his native language of Spanish, delivers a brave and deeply compelling performance, conveying so much pain and emotion with little more than a look. Bardem is skillfully directed by Inarritu, who focuses the film on Uxbal and only chooses to ignore everything else in the background when Uxbal is doing so. When something threatens to influence Uxbal, it becomes a central part of the film, and when it is inconsequential, the film appropriately forgets about it.

“Biutiful” also explores an unexplained image of Uxbal’s battle with certain death, opening the film with a conversation between an uncharacteristically relaxed and joyful Uxbal and an unknown stranger. The scene, juxtaposed with Uxbal’s nature throughout the rest of the film, is enormously powerful and helpful in establishing his character and the tone of the film. The film’s most impressive accomplishment is making its thieving, temperamental protagonist one of the most sympathetic characters in recent film history. This is a film that’s as excellent as it is depressing, and a considerable achievement on the part of Inarritu, Bardem, and everyone else involved.

B+

Movie with Abe: Somewhere

Somewhere
Directed by Sofia Coppola
Released December 22, 2010

When Sofia Coppola makes a movie, it’s worth taking note. In eleven years, Coppola has only made four feature films, and they have all been quite distinctive and unique. Her first movie, “The Virgin Suicides,” was a tragic look at a group of doomed sisters whose lives become inconsolably lonely after a suicide. Her second was the Oscar-winning “Lost in Translation,” a film that got Bill Murray to be serious and truly established her as an artsy filmmaker with a taste for colors and careful cinematography. Her third was an overindulgent, lavish update on “Marie Antoinette” that just didn’t work. And now she presents “Somewhere,” a very subtle, often hypnotic look at celebrity and the relationship between a father and his daughter.

After utilizing too much pomp and noise in “Marie Antoinette,” Coppola is back to her token quietness, frequently lingering on the small moments and refusing to jump ahead to the next scene, even if little to nothing is happening. The almost-still cinematography is meant to illustrate the mundane nature of the life of actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff). Viewers of the film get the chance to experience life as Marco does, occasionally bringing glimmers of excitement and adventure, but just as often seeming unfulfilling and sober. Enormous credit is due to cinematographer Harris Savides, who has collaborated frequently with another extremely artsy (though sometimes less positively so) director, Gus Van Sant, for his unflinching dedication to finding and extracting meaning in the most meaningless of situations.

From its start, which features Marco driving around a course, all alone, repeatedly, this is very clearly a Sofia Coppola film. Coppola has enlisted Phoenix, as with her previous films, for musical accompaniment for the film, and the track “Love Like a Sunset” is extraordinarily effective as a theme for the ever-wandering Marco. The mood Coppola creates for her film is perfect for its lead character, firmly establishing his semi-realized frustration and sadness with the inescapability of the life he’s living. That sentiment is underlined by the arrival of his daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning), whose presence makes him contemplate everything.

Contemplative is a great word to describe “Somewhere,” and its performances are very much in line with that theme. Stephen Dorff, who has been acting for over a decade but hasn’t recently had any notable or very memorable roles, proves to be an excellent choice to play Marco. It’s especially fascinating to see his world-famous character interact with everyone he meets in such a muted, sad manner. Dorff also does a stellar job of understating Marco’s promiscuity, as the character beds nearly every woman he comes into contact with on screen. Fanning proves just as talented as her older sister Dakota, playing a very mature eleven-year-old but believably conveying her youth at the same time. In a film with precious little dialogue, it’s all worthwhile, thanks to the delivery by Dorff, Fanning, and the smaller players, and to a great script by Coppola. Oscar voters probably won’t take notice, but this film is entirely worthy of positive comparison to “Lost in Translation.”

B+

Movie with Abe: Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine
Directed by Derek Cianfrance
Released December 29, 2010

It’s difficulty to accurately convey the intricacies of a relationship. A classic film like “Annie Hall” shows the ebb and flow of a romance that often mirrors a rollercoaster ride with plenty of foreseeable as well as unpredictable twists and turns. Grasping the seriousness and intensity of a relationship, especially a marriage, is a different thing entirely. Director Derek Cianfrance’s first feature film in twelve years, “Blue Valentine,” is a moving, heartbreaking portrait of a relationship in shambles, presenting both the pleasant start and tragic nadir of one couple’s union and juxtaposing them to try to figure out what went wrong in between.

The devolvement of the relationship between Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) isn’t meant to come as a surprise. The way their lives currently stand after six years together is shown at the beginning even before the two meet for the first time, and therefore their fate is inevitable, and it’s instead a matter of piecing together just what happened in the time between those two states. The start of their romance is almost surreal and somewhat happenstance, based on a brief exchange of glances that sticks with both parties, especially the determined Dean. That blissful, carefree happiness is even starker when compared to the gritty, rotten state of affairs six years down the road.

“Blue Valentine” is an extraordinarily authentic film that doesn’t try to sugarcoat or dampen anything about how Dean and Cindy interact. It’s that fearlessness that initially earned the film an NC-17 rating, something which the filmmaker and stars objected to strongly. Cianfrance said that they “tried to take a responsible approach to sexuality” and that “sex scenes should be treated in a raw, unflinching way.” The NC-17 rating greatly limits where the film can be seen, says Williams, and, Cianfrance believes, takes the choice away from parents. He sees his film more as a “cautionary tale rather than sex sensationalized.”

“Blue Valentine” is about two people in a relationship, and therefore it’s extraordinarily important to have strong performers in the lead roles. Gosling, who has delivered emotionally wrenching performances in films like “Half Nelson” and the underrated “The United States of Leland,” undergoes a monumentally impressive transformation from eager young suitor to hard-hearted, coarse slacker husband. He’s almost unrecognizable in the present-day scenes after seeing his optimistic smile in the film’s flashbacks. Williams also has a marvelous energy and warmth in the scenes that take place at the beginning of the relationship that is completely gone in the future version of herself. It’s an astonishing, brutally realistic vision of how time (and a child) can change a couple. It’s hard to forget some of the earlier moments, such as the first magical night that the youthful duo spends together singing, dancing, and laughing, and seeing what they’ve become only a few years later makes that initial meeting all the more moving.

B+

Home Video with Abe: Greenberg

Greenberg
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Released March 19, 2010

In director Noah Baumbach’s latest film, Ben Stiller plays Roger Greenberg, an established New Yorker who returns to the West Coast to stay at his brother’s home following a mental breakdown. The film is segmented by brief intermissions that detail the letters Greenberg writes to various public officials and companies complaining about poor or disappointing service. It’s the kind of sentiment that many people have but few actually express, and it’s Greenberg who does something about it, even if the only audience that hears his thoughts is the one watching the film. It helps add considerable personality to the otherwise prickly and selfish Greenberg to know that he’s fighting the good fight, at least on paper.

Baumbach has a tendency to write unlikeable characters. That has worked wonders in some cases, like “The Squid and the Whale,” while other instances, like “Margot at the Wedding,” haven’t produced as positive results. In “Greenberg,” Baumbach adds a purely sympathetic character, Florence (Greta Gerwig), who is Greenberg’s brother’s assistant. Florence is more than happy to do whatever anyone asks of her without a complaint, in contrast to the ever-negative Greenberg, and never puts herself first. Ivan (Rhys Ifans), Greenberg’s friend, is similarly subservient and equally kind-hearted, constantly sacrificing his own happiness in order to appease Greenberg.

The story of Greenberg is hardly an overstuffed one, and little actually occurs over the course of the film. Yet it’s a pleasant, compelling break from the fast pace of other louder films that stops to explore one character and his influence on those around him who continue to stick by him despite never receiving so much as a thank you for their steadfastness. Though Greenberg’s brother Phillip allows him to stay in his home while his family vacations in Vietnam, their phone conversations during his trip show just how easily Phillip loses patience with his brother. Florence and Ivan, on the other hand, don’t give Greenberg a hard time even though he doesn’t extend them the same courtesy. The film’s title is appropriate because their lives often seem as if they revolve around him.

Stiller gets uncharacteristically serious to play Greenberg, delivering a muted and believable performance. Independent film actress Gerwig is endearing and pleasant as Florence, and she helps to anchor the film due to her extensive screen time and prominent role in both the story and this chapter of Greenberg’s life. The film even finds a small role for Merrit Wever, one of the standouts from the supporting cast of Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie,” as Florence’s sarcastic best friend. A strong ensemble and an enjoyable, entertaining script make for a fun, contemplative film experience.

B+

Movie with Abe: How Do You Know

How Do You Know
Directed by James L. Brooks
Released December 17, 2010

It’s not entirely wise to expect much from a holiday season romantic comedy. The time at which the year’s top Oscar contenders are released often offers up a slew of lesser quality films for movie-going audiences. But when three of the director’s five films are past Best Picture nominees, not to mention some highly acclaimed romantic comedies, and the star is a popular and funny comedic actress, expectations are considerably higher. Unfortunately, “How Do You Know,” a film that takes a question as its title, isn’t terribly sure of what it wants to be as a movie and that’s quite a problem.

Reese Witherspoon, whose last live-action feature film was the very lacking “Four Christmases” from 2008, is Lisa, a successful athlete who hasn’t found nearly as much success in the romance department. Though she’s staunchly aggressive and fierce on the field, Lisa is a character who doesn’t know exactly what it is she wants and definitely isn’t prepared to try to tell anyone else who might be interested what they’re not doing right or what they could be doing better. Instead, she panders to poor behavior on the part of her selfish boyfriend Mattie (Owen Wilson) by apologizing for her own perceived wrongdoing when he’s the one who’s done something wrong.

The question of “how do you know” is far less relevant and compelling if the characters in question don’t have many good qualities. That’s hardly the worst of the film’s problems, however. The film speedily loses its focus on Lisa’s love life by devoting too much attention to background characters and silly scenarios that don’t make much sense. The conversations and interactions in the film are highly unbelievable and forced, and it’s often painful to watch the generally likeable George (Paul Rudd) interact so awkwardly and uncomfortably with Lisa.

Lisa, for her part, isn’t terribly sympathetic either. In order to shed her American sweetheart image, Witherspoon puts most of her efforts into sounding like a tomboy uninterested in love rather than an able comedic lead. It’s hard to get behind a character who doesn’t seem to have many good qualities yet demands a good deal of pity. Wilson doesn’t appear to be acting at all, talking as loudly as possible in order to make the most of his excessively-showcased scenes. Jack Nicholson, who plays George’s CEO father, is just phoning his performance in, which is disappointing and grating. Rudd, probably the film’s strongest player, is essentially a loose cannon whose wild mannerisms are meant to make him endearing.

If, by some miracle, these characters are able to determine if in fact they do love each other, the audience will have a much tougher time. All of the players in the messy story are hopelessly underdeveloped, and their personalities are about as thin as they come. This is the definition of a romantic comedy that doesn’t even really try to be either romantic or funny. Looking at it alongside one of director James L. Brooks’ previous films, “As Good As It Gets,” it’s clear just how lazy this overlong, relatively boring and off-putting miserable holiday movie is.

D

Movie with Abe: The Illusionist

The Illusionist
Directed by Sylvain Chomet
Released December 25, 2010

Animation offers a world of infinite possibilities since its characters and storyboards can take on any form and do anything. Characters need not be limited by what reality dictates, and hand-drawn images can often convey just as much as a three-dimensional capture of real-life. Animation can also be helpful in highlighting the simplicity of a particular thing, whether it’s a person or a lifestyle. Sylvain Chomet’s new film “The Illusionist” is a creative and clever animated film that tells the story of a magician whose road act continually takes him to new places.

“The Illusionist” treats its audience as sophisticated and old-fashioned because, after all, that’s how its main character functions. The illusionist practices a nostalgic trade, always dressing nicely and presenting his show in a dignified and elegant fashion. Early on, he finds his set continually delayed by young rock stars that drive the audience wild with their loud, aggressive music. The illusionist’s show is a return to simpler, quieter times for a man who’s never left them. The film follows his example, exploring the man’s life without much pizzazz or efforts to make him seem more enthusiastic.

That route is a gamble on the part of the film, offering up precious few lines of dialogue throughout its short eighty-minute run time. What little is said is mostly unintelligible and often in foreign languages, minus the use of subtitles or even the clear comprehension of the listener in the film. The absence of spoken words encourages the use of creative manners of expression such as body language, underlining the message that there are ways of communicating that don’t require excessive volume. The illusionist goes from town to town making his small impact on people, and once he is gone, his presence is likely forgotten. While he might prefer a more appreciative stable audience, he likely wouldn’t have it any other way. He is a simple man who seeks to mesmerize and entertain, if only for a moment.

As might be expected from a quiet, somber tale like this, the film is occasionally slow. Its subtlest minutes often feel like hours, and, like the oft-ignored illusionist himself, the film doesn’t outright demand the attention of its audience. Some will find the slower segments compelling and meaningful, while others may become easily distracted and find getting through the film to be a burden. For this viewer, it was an even mix of the two sentiments. At times, the film is meaningful and memorable, and, at others, overly pensive. Reminiscent of fellow Best Animated Feature Oscar contender “My Dog Tulip,” it works best when it shows the illusionist’s heartwarming and heartbreaking interactions with the girl to whom he gives kindness and the opportunity to see the world. Even if it’s not entirely engaging, “The Illusionist” is a thoughtful, contemplative, endearing story about one unconventional type of traveling salesman.

B

Double Movie with Abe: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps & Inside Job

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Directed by Oliver Stone
Released September 24, 2010

Inside Job
Directed by Charles Ferguson
Released October 8, 2010

It’s extraordinarily rare for a director to return to make a sequel to a well-received, Oscar-winning movie. It’s just as uncommon for the lead star (and previously mentioned Oscar winner) to reprise his role in the follow-up film. It’s even rarer for both to occur together over twenty years after the release of the first film. While all those factors can indicate potential for a strong film, sometimes it still doesn’t pan out too well. In the case of “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” which reunites director Oliver Stone with Michael Douglas, the star of his 1987 film, there’s much left to be desired.

It’s interesting to consider “Wall Street 2,” which opened back in September and is now available on DVD, alongside “Inside Job,” a highly buzzed-about documentary still playing in limited release. It might seem a bit strange to compare the fictionalized drama with a piece of nonfiction investigative reporting, but both films center on the same theme: the collapse of the economy and its effect on those whose daily lives revolve around the stock market. In some ways, it’s unfair to consider them in the same review, but in light of the former film’s positioning of its fictional characters in a parallel of real-life events, it feels especially appropriate.

At its core, “Wall Street 2” is a story about individual people and their own quests for the good life. “Inside Job” chronicles one man’s efforts to unmask the motivations and, more importantly, the actions of those people who managed to walk away from their extensive involvement in the collapse of the economy without their roles in the lead-up to the crisis or their hefty takeaways revealed. “Wall Street 2” lays out the culprits for the audience to see and allows them a direct view of all of their actions, while “Inside Job” director Charles Ferguson has to do his own poking and prodding to locate the culprits.

Ultimately, “Wall Street 2” is little more than a story of revenge with an emphasis on the often shaky difference between good and evil. Go-to franchise rebooter Shia LaBeouf, who has also assisted in the revival of both the “Indiana Jones” and “Transformers” series the recent years, is supposed to be the moral core of the film, but he turns out to be a rather one-dimensional character, focusing most of his efforts on trying to sound and act like a Long Island native. Josh Brolin is especially cartoonish as a bad guy billionaire, and Carey Mulligan needs to pick more substantial roles than this. The film really does belong to Douglas, who effortlessly uses his fantastic cinematic voice to anchor an otherwise uninventive and poorly told story.

In contrast, “Inside Job” is chock full of facts and figures, providing a comprehensive report on the international causes of the economic collapse and how it could have been prevented. While he’s nowhere near as annoying and pushy as Michael Moore, Ferguson does press some of his subjects, responding “are you kidding me?” to their assertions and refusing to back down. It’s often hard to tell whether the interviewee has been selected as a witness for the prosecution or the defense, and that’s one of the film’s strongest assets. “Inside Job” is easily one of this year’s most interesting, enlightening, and entertaining documentaries. In this case, stick with the truth – it will be a more rewarding (though not necessarily financially) experience.

Wall Street 2: C-
Inside Job: B+

Movie with Abe: True Grit

True Grit
Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
Released December 22, 2010

It’s fair to say that the Coen brothers have made their mark on cinema. Over the course of twenty-five years and fourteen films, Joel and Ethan Coen have established a distinctive style of moviemaking, often instilling stories of quirky characters in dark, violent situations with considerable humor and wit. It’s easy to recognize something like “Fargo” or last year’s “A Serious Man” as a Coen brothers film due to the pensive pacing and foreboding tone, not to mention the often hilarious nature of the characters. It’s more difficult to find traces of their signature in their latest venture, the period western “True Grit.”

While the Coen brothers often do their best work when they use their own original ideas (look no further than “Fargo” for proof of that), they have demonstrated their versatility in the past with the Oscar-winning “No Country for Old Men,” adapted from the book by Cormac McCarthy. “True Grit” is based on the 1968 novel by Charles Portis, which was also the basis for a 1969 film staring John Wayne. It’s interesting to see how the Coen brothers work with concepts developed by others, though in this case, it would have been nice to see them put more of a stamp on their project.

It wouldn’t be right to say that “True Grit” is a bad movie. It’s a fine picture, but there’s simply nothing that makes it stand out. The dialogue doesn’t feel like it fits any of the characters, even if it does blend in more smoothly with their background settings. The productions values are strong but the cinematography isn’t as compelling as one might think for this kind of sweeping western. There are moments that present a glimpse of the Coen brothers ensemble potential, with familiar names like composer Carter Burwell and cinematographer Roger Deakins on hand as they have been for nearly every Coen brothers film, but they are few and far in between.

The story of Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), a fourteen-year-old girl who hires a drunken U.S. Marshal named Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to hunt down Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who murdered her father, is simple enough. In truth, there’s not actually much to it, and that becomes apparent when the film comes to an end and all that’s transpired is a good deal of talking and a decent amount of shooting. A relatively thin story could have been couched and improved by some wondrous eccentricity on the part of the characters, but it’s just not there.

Bridges’ Cogburn is little more than a muttering drunkard whose stubbornness gets in his way more often than it proves helpful to him, and his role illustrates this film’s notion of good comedy as big and broad more than any other in the film. Steinfeld delivers an impressive, fast-talking performance as Mattie, but it’s never explained how she’s so learned and well-versed in every bit of knowledge about which two grown men have no knowledge. Matt Damon demonstrates continued proficiency with accents (following last year’s “Invictus”) as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, and Barry Pepper stands out in a miniature role as villain Lucky Ned Pepper. In all, there’s not much to recommend “True Grit,” and the Coen brothers should consider a return to a subtler approach to the delicate balance between deathly serious drama and lighter comic moments.

B-

Movie with Abe: Burlesque

Burlesque
Directed by Steve Antin
Released November 24, 2010

Imagine a sweet-natured small town girl with the lungs of a banshee who decides to pack up and leave her lackluster Iowa home and try to make it in the big city. She journeys to Hollywood, where she thinks she can succeed as a big star. Her over-simplified, rather short search for fame lands her in a burlesque parlor where she hires herself as a waitress and promises herself that, one day, she’s going to make it up onto the stage and become a star in her own right. This excessively familiar tale boasts two strong original songs, but that’s about it when it comes to anything new or worthwhile.

As Ali (Christina Aguilera) struggles to make it in showbiz, she doesn’t really struggle all that much. She immediately wins the affection of eyeliner-wearing bartender Jack (Cam Gigandet), who hastily offers up his couch for the starving artist to stay on, and her hardships aren’t terribly hard at all. Tess (Cher) is positioned to be the lofty, high-powered diva of the burlesque parlor, but her soft side shines through far too transparently, and there’s never much doubt that Tess will warm to the considerable charms of the cute-as-a-button Ali (in other words, she’s hardly Miranda Priestly).

In a movie musical such as this, it’s important to have performers with magnificent voices. But does acting need to be sacrificed? Christina Aguilera makes her horrific film debut, and the discrepancy between the quality of her singing and the quality of her acting makes it hard to believe that both are coming from the same person. In one scene, Ali chastises Tess for never letting anyone else speak. Yet Ali barely stops talking for the entire run of the movie, save for her singing bits, and Aguilera charges excitedly charges through all of her lines, transforming an entire page of dialogue into one run-on sentence, underlining the fact that she is no actress.

It doesn’t help one bit that the script is simply abysmal. The writing is laughable, and the predictable, uninventive story, with only a burlesque twist to define it, is infinitely better than any of the words these actors painfully have to utter. Cher’s spoken performance is horrendous as well, and she’s even given an unnecessary song called “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (admittedly, a terrific number), seemingly inserted only to honor her and tribute her greatness. Eric Dane of “Grey’s Anatomy” McSteaminess feels extremely out of place, and Stanley Tucci, in an obviously effortless performance, delivers the only decent turn in the whole film. “Burlesque” does know how to use some of its musical numbers, however, and Aguilera’s crooning of “Bound to You” is probably the film’s standout moment. The film succeeds occasionally as a spectacle, creating an entertaining enough experience, but this shouldn’t be mistaken for a good movie.

D+

Movie with Abe: The Tourist

The Tourist
Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Released December 10, 2010

“The Tourist,” the American remake of the 2005 French film “Anthony Zimmer,” is the brainchild of three Oscar-winning screenwriters. All three won their Oscars for original work, and therefore their choice to adapt an existing work together is especially interesting. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who also directs, won the Best Foreign Language Film award for “The Lives of Others” in 2006. Julian Fellowes penned the screenplay to Robert Altman’s who-cares-whodunnit 2001 ensemble comedy “Gosford Park.” Christopher McQuarrie’s signature achievement is the 1995 classic thriller “The Usual Suspects.” One would expect a film from these three talented men to be especially clever and intelligent.

Yet that’s not quite the case. International superstars Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp are thrown into a web of intrigue and slow-paced action that has a team of British agents following a woman with a connection to a mysterious and unknown thief. Both Jolie and Depp stick out like sore thumbs, Jolie because of her beauty (and the way she uses it to her advantage) and Depp because of the baffled, out-of-place look stamped onto his face. They’re a peculiar pair, and what’s even more puzzling is why Depp’s Frank Tupelo so willingly goes along with everything Jolie’s Elise Ward tells him to do think and do.

That’s one of the extreme liberties taken by this film all too frequently: presuming that its wild plot is nothing out of the ordinary for its characters. After an energetic start that establishes the film as little more than successfully entertaining, the film devolves considerably as it becomes distracted by a dogged investigator obsessed with finding his elusive target at any cost, a cartoonish gangster and his hoodlums on the same trail, and a rather hard-to-believe twist that comes midway through the film. At its start, “The Tourist” appears to be the most multilingual film since last year’s “Inglourious Basterds.” That doesn’t last long, however, as the characters utter a line or two of their native dialogue before immediately switching to the more user-friendly English.

That’s only one of the disappointments in this film, one that should have been far smarter and more polished. All of the effort spent of polish was devoted to making Jolie look good and Depp look confused, rather than elevating a lackluster piece of entertainment into something like the great films of which all three scribes have demonstrated themselves capable. The film’s ending provides a hint of possible brilliance, but, like all that leads up to it, it takes too much for granted and assumes that the audience will buy its plot developments, no matter how ridiculous or unsupportable. No one is putting in their best efforts here, and a December release with this kind of talent behind it should be much stronger.

C+

Movie with Abe: Rabbit Hole

Rabbit Hole
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell
Released December 17, 2010

Losing a child is an extraordinarily terrible thing. It’s difficult to convey on screen the pain associated with a loss since it’s such an individual experience, and it’s also a challenge to make the realization of such a story bearable. David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Rabbit Hole” was a play that has been produced a number of times over the last five years, and this marks its first transition from stage to screen. Lindsay-Abaire is on hand as the screenwriter, and John Cameron Mitchell, director of “Shortbus” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” directors this harrowing and occasionally quirky film.

Some have raised objections that Cynthia Nixon of “Sex and the City” fame, who won a Tony for her performance in the show on Broadway, did not remain in the role for the film. This situation is similar to that of “Doubt” several years ago, when Meryl Streep took over a role originated by Cherry Jones on Broadway. While Nixon’s absence may be lamentable, Nicole Kidman is as good a choice as any to replace her, just as Streep was for Jones. This is a welcome return to prominence for Kidman, who effortlessly slips into the role of the prickly Becca, a complex character whose steeliness is just a front for the fact that she doesn’t know how she’s supposed to mourn the loss of someone who died so young. Kidman conveys so much in her hastily shot glances and snide comments, and she’s not the only terrific performer whose talents are on display. Aaron Eckhart, whose most memorable role prior to this, in “Thank You For Smoking,” has been comedic, does a magnificent job of playing a broken and troubled spouse who isn’t so willing to suppress his feelings and suffer in silence. The two make for an electric and compelling pair.

The dialogue of “Rabbit Hole” reveals its theatrical roots, yet the lines don’t feel out of place as spoken in the context of this filmic universe. Eckhart and Kidman create an intimate dynamic that still functions well when they are surrounded by a physical rather than imagined world. The film is occasionally inventive, utilizing a comic book from its universe to both literally and figuratively illustrate the struggle undergone by the characters, and usually simply effective in a straightforward way, telling an interesting story and combining top-notch performances with strong writing and tight direction to create a worthwhile and meaningful film.

B+

Animation Spotlight: Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon & Tangled

Despicable Me: Directed by Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud
How to Train Your Dragon: Directed by Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders
Tangled: Directed by Nathan Greno & Byron Howard

Two of this year’s top contenders for the Best Animated Feature Oscar are now available on DVD, while a third remains in theatres following a Thanksgiving opening date. In a year that’s been somewhat sparse on animation (the only animated film reviews you’ll find on MoviesWithAbe.com so far are for “Toy Story 3” and “My Dog Tulip,” both also eligible for the Oscar), here’s a brief look at three of this year’s most notable animated features. Look also for a review of French animated contender “The Illusionist” around the time it opens in limited release on December 25th.

“Despicable Me” is the least impressive of the three, mostly in terms of narrative storytelling. The film’s two teaser trailers from last summer presented wholly different pictures of the film’s plot, one the story of a mysterious villain seeking to steal massive monuments and the other a tale of two competing super-villains. The film doesn’t do all that much to clarify, presenting a rather underdeveloped and lackluster narrative about a selfish mastermind named Gru (entertainingly voiced by Steve Carell) who adopts several orphans in order to complete his lifelong dream of succeeding in super-villainy. “Despicable Me” also fails the perhaps unnecessary and unfair qualification that adults should be able to enjoy its content just (or nearly) as much as young children.

“How to Train Your Dragon” falls into that same category to an extent, though it certainly contains more believable, complex characters and an intriguing storyline about a young boy in a Viking community who realizes that the dragons his people have spent their lives hunting aren’t actually dangerous. “How to Train Your Dragon” works better metaphorically than literally since it doesn’t prove to be much more than a parable about trying peace before exercising violence. While simplistic, it’s visually enthralling and accompanied by a score that gives the feel an authentic and distinctive feel.

And then there’s “Tangled,” the simply wonderful classic Disney film that re-imagines the famous story of Rapunzel and her lengthy, magical hair. From its start, “Tangled” is magnificently energetic and entirely captivating, telling a familiar tale in a new, creative way with typically dazzling storyboarding and animation. Its use of original songs is extraordinarily effective as well, giving its characters and voice actors the opportunity to perform dance numbers that enhance an already top-notch story. The best part of “Tangled,” as It turns out, is its talented voice actors. “Chuck” star Zachary Levi is charismatic and hilarious as vagabond Flynn Rider, and Mandy Moore is charming and endearing as the sweet, sheltered Rapunzel. If “Toy Story 3” hadn’t been realized this year, “Tangled” would easily be the best, most enjoyable animated film of 2010.

Despicable Me: C
How to Train Your Dragon: B-
Tangled: A-

Movie with Abe: Casino Jack

Casino Jack
Directed by George Hickenlooper
Released December 17, 2010

Earlier this year, a documentary called “Casino Jack and the United States of Money” chronicled the activities of Washington super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose corrupt wheelings and dealings landed him a six-year federal prison sentence. Abramoff’s trial was sensational mostly for the sheer amount of influence he exerted and the number of people involved in unlawful activities in connection with him. The late director George Hickenlooper, who passed away suddenly in Denver in October at the age of 47, brings Abramoff’s story to the screen in an inspired take with a diverse cast that even includes funnyman Jon Lovitz of “Saturday Night Live” and “Rat Race” in a supporting role, if only to emphasize its status as a comedy.

Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey plays Abramoff, the smooth-talking, extraordinarily popular lobbyist with connections to and dirt on pretty much everyone in Washington. Spacey is fierce, furious, and energetic in his portrayal of Abramoff, fervently declaring in front of a mirror, toothbrush in hand, in the film’s opening scene, “I’m Jack Abramoff and, oh yeah, I work out every day.” There’s a sense that perhaps Spacey is just playing Spacey since the real Abramoff couldn’t possibly be this wild a character. Like Robin Williams and his portrayal of real-life radio personality Adrian Cronauer in “Good Morning, Vietnam,” however, it’s hardly a bad thing, since seeing the performer craft a creative take on a real person is infinitely more fascinating than mimicry (see also Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network" for a more subdued example).

Spacey did actually speak to Abramoff while he was in jail during the production of the film, and he was certain not to do too much research beforehand that might influence his perception of the man. Spacey particularly wanted to be sure that he didn’t play Abramoff as the “caricature he had become; a one-dimensional villain made out to be the greediest devil incarnate on earth.” the other actors took a different approach. Lovitz, who plays Abramoff associate and mattress franchise owner Adam Kidan, researched his character but emphasized sticking to the script over basing the performance on the real-life person.

On the surface, the events of “Casino Jack” might seem serious and even rather disturbing. Yet the way they’re documented and realized in the film is considerably lighter than might be expected, enabling it to be superbly entertaining and quite funny. Lovitz notes that there was humor in the script that was obvious and that there was “simply no other way to do it.” Costar Barry Pepper, who plays Abramoff’s good friend and number one partner Michael Scanlon, notes that the film is still a “cautionary and morality tale about democracy” and can “help open our eyes to our responsibility as citizens.” Whether it’s a retelling of actual events or a comical farce, “Casino Jack” is an amusing and fun film, if nothing more than that.

B-

Movie with Abe: The Company Men

The Company Men
Directed by John Wells
Released December 10, 2010

Layoffs are never a pleasant topic of conversation. With the current state of the economy and the difficulty of finding a job for today’s college graduates, it’s an extremely relevant and powerful subject. In “The Company Men,” it’s not new hires who find themselves out of a job but three dedicated workers who have devoted years (Affleck’s character is on the low end of the spectrum at twelve) of service to a large organization and suddenly find themselves kicked to the curb and without much hope of jumping right into an altogether new job.

The portrait of three different individuals, all at their own places in their lives, works well as a way of applying the effects of a layoff to any kind of person. Ben Affleck’s Bobby Walker is the type who could reasonably find another job with lower pay and survive financially, but his refusal to give up certain luxuries and appear unsuccessful and unemployed works against him. Chris Cooper’s Phil Woodward doesn’t have much aside from his job, and he’s too high up in the organization to be able to easily transfer to another company. Tommy Lee Jones’ Gene McClary, a vice-president at the company, has the financial means to stay afloat indefinitely and little desire or need to find other employment. The fact that the three men know each other helps add to the meaningfulness of the comparisons.

In certain respects, “The Company Men” oversimplifies situations with its stark characterizations. Yet its story is strong enough to sustain its premise and follow its chosen characters and their families and friends (in that order) down the paths they take and the roads they travel. It doesn’t feel, as it easily could, like Bobby, Phil, and Gene are the only people in the world, and that’s addressed early on when Bobby’s secretary immediately asks if she still has a job after he’s been fired and he snaps back at her that he didn’t think to ask about her continued employment. Implications and consequences aren’t taken for granted here, and instead this is an exploration of how three specific characters and personality types deal with whatever comes their way. “The Company Men” is an affirming, meaningful, relatable, believable movie that, despite its somewhat optimistic outlook, doesn’t dumb down its characters or paint an overly positive picture of things. It’s the kind of movie whose theatrical release at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011 feels entirely appropriate.

B+

Movie with Abe: Hemingway’s Garden of Eden

Hemingway’s Garden of Eden
Directed by John Irvin
Released December 10, 2010

Ernest Hemingway’s posthumous novel “The Garden of Eden,” subject to considerable editing due to the untimely death of its author, is the basis for John Irvin’s utopian soap opera. In the film, a young couple philanders around Europe, bathing in excess and living life without the hassles of goals, ambition, or motivation to do much of anything. Of course David, an author in his own right, wants to write and create lasting works, but his impatient and filthy rich wife desires nothing more than to have a good time. Trouble in paradise isn’t far off, and the road there is entirely superficial, heinous, and generally unbearable.

Mena Suvari’s Catherine parades around as if she’s the important thing in the world, and her audacity is equally off-putting and obnoxious. Jack Huston’s David can’t seem to be bothered to care about anything, and his indifference to his horrific situation is one of the main reasons the film fails to be compelling. Caterina Murino’s Marita seems entirely incapable of expressing any kind of emotion or protest, subservient to either Catherine or David, depending on which one of them is in the process of bossing her around and posing her on their own private stage. These stark characterizations could be effective if it were possible to buy or bear that these people really could exist, and that’s simply not the case.

The characters in “Hemingway’s Garden of Eden” are so pretentious that it’s impossible not to detest them, yet it’s not as if their misadventures are terribly interesting. Before adding Marita to their marital mix, Catherine and David (the order of their names is crucial) decide to indulge in lavishness by dyeing their hair a hideous shade of white, as if to prove just how much they disregard the way the rest of the world lives and breathes. Everything is “Hemingway’s Garden of Eden” is on the surface, to the extent that there doesn’t appear to be anything underneath. It’s a story of self-involved, gluttonous people whose affairs (and affairs are a main topic of conversation) aren’t all that interesting. Both the characters and especially the film, however, clearly don’t realize this and choose to devote an altogether admiring lens to all Catherine, David, and Marita do. The film definitely looks good, something which filming in Spain and France certainly helps to do, but it, like its characters, appears coated over by a layer of deception and fakeness, lending it an unmaskable air of haughty contempt.

F