MARKED MOVIES

Director: George Hickenlooper.
Screenplay: Norman Snider.
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, Jon Lovitz, Rachelle Lefevre, Maury Chaykin, Spencer Garrett, Eric Schweig, Graham Greene, Christian Campbell, Yannick Bisson.

Throughout his career, director George Hickenlooper would switch from documentaries to feature films. He is probably better known for “Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse” where he brilliantly documented the trouble that Francis Ford Coppola had in making “Apocalypse Now“. His abilities in delving into true murky situations are also reflected in this account of a 2006 Washington D.C. political scandal.

Jack Abramoff (Kevin Spacey) is a self proclaimed family man, Republican and devout Jew. He also happens to be a lobbyist who wields a lot of influence with politicians and businessmen. Along with partner Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper), he decides to lobby a casino for a Native American tribe, stealing millions from them in the process. He also sets up an illegal chain of offshore casinos that involve gangsters and eventual murder. Abramoff is highly ambitious and lacks morals and that’s exactly what leads to his conviction on charges of conspiracy and mail fraud and the downfall of many politicians who were happy to do business with him.

If you’ve ever seen Kevin Spacey get interviewed then you’ll know that he has an ability to do impressions. This is a role where he is given a bit of leeway to show a few of them; Al Pacino, Ronald Regan and Bill Clinton among others. It’s also a role that allows him to give a few of the cocksure Spacey rants that we have become accustomed to. It’s one of the better roles that he’s had over recent years and he makes the most of it. It’s him that keeps this film anchored as it attempts to cover more ground than it can handle. It can’t be easy covering true events and trying to be as honest about them as you possibly can, without losing sight of a few things. Hickenlooper has a good go and doesn’t shy away from naming names involved in the scandal. He doesn’t change anything; Abramoff and Michael Scanlon are put under the microscope and political big-hitters like President George W. Bush (of course) and Senator John McCain are also implicated. It’s a brave move and Hickenlooper and screenwriter Norman Snider deserve credit for their bravery. Speaking of which, Snider’s writing is fast-paced and snappy. He starts with a bang and never really let’s up. He drops names into the mix and moves from person to person in quick succession, showing the extent and depth of the corruption that political figures, so often, finds themselves in. However, this is also part of the film’s problem: there’s too much going on and it attempts to move into comedy territory that doesn’t suit the seriousness of the characters’ downfalls. The inclusion of the highly irritating comedic actor Jon Lovitz was a bad move entirely. He seems as if he’s walked on to the wrong set. As mentioned though, Spacey keeps the film interesting and despite an underwritten role, Barry Pepper lends some excellent support as his partner in crime. What I found most intriguing though, was the story itself. Maybe I’ve been leading a sheltered life but I don’t recall this corruption being broadcasted or reported, despite it being compared to the scale of the Watergate scandal of 1972. I’d never heard of Abramoff either, who has been a colourful and highly influential figure in recent American politics. Not to mention, a producer and writer of the Dolph Lundgren movie “Red Scorpion”. Truth does indeed have a funny way of being stranger than fiction.

Political backhanders and downfalls are exposed in a fast-paced and comedic style. It’s doesn’t succeed on all accounts but remains an intriguing story.

Mark Walker

Director: Hal Ashby.
Screenplay: Robert Towne.
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, Carol Kane, Michael Moriarty, Nancy Allen, Gilda Radner.

The 1970’s is arguably the best decade for classic American films. It produced such quality as “The Godfather parts I & II“, “Dog Day Afternoon“, “Serpico“, “Mean Streets“, “Jaws” and “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest“, to name a few. It heralded the reputation of the likes of Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and this film’s star Jack Nicholson. This is another, that could be included amongst the greats of that decade.

Two career Navy men, “Bad-Ass” Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and “Mule” Mulhall (Otis Young) are commissioned to escort young kleptomaniac Meadows (Randy Quaid) to the brig for petty theft. En-route, the two lifers realise that young Meadows is actually quite a naive and innocent young man, who hasn’t experienced much of life. Before they deliver him to an eight year sentence in prison, they decide to show him a good time and teach him a little of life’s pleasures.

“…I knew a whore once in Wilmington. She had a glass eye… used to take it out and wink people off for a dollar.” Where else can you get a quote like that, delivered in such dead-pan style from the great Jack Nicholson? In fact, for that matter, most of Nicholson’s performances deliver at least one choice quote. His career is full of them and few can deliver a line like he can. If you appreciate such moments, then this film delivers plenty of them. It’s mainly dialogue driven and character based, providing another classic Nicholson performance. As well as, fine support in Otis Young and a young Randy Quaid. All three of them are an absolute joy to spend time with. The dialogue is razor-sharp from screenwriter Robert Towne (a year before another 70’s classic “Chinatown“) and director Hal Ashby skilfully combines the comedy and the drama to near perfection. Ashby was a director that consistently delivered superb human drama’s throughout his career (“Harold And Maude” and “Coming Home” are a couple of notable ones) but he didn’t quite get the plaudits or reputation that his peers received. However, with films of this calibre, his abilities still stand the test of time.

Humour and pathos can be a marvellous combination when done right and Ashby certainly does that… he gets it spot on.
It may be their ‘Last Detail’ but I for one, wish it was their first.

Mark Walker

Director: Bruce Robinson.
Screenplay: Bruce Robinson.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli, Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi, Amaury Nolasco, Marshall Bell, Bill Smitrovich.

The last adaptation of a Hunter S. Thompson novel was Terry Gilliam’s “Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas“. It had the talent in front of and behind the camera but ended up a real mixed-bag. This second adaptation by “Withnail And I” director Bruce Robinson, again, looks like it’s in good hands but doesn’t fair much better.

In San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1960, Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) gets a job on a local newspaper. He also rooms up with fellow reporter Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli) and gets a little too indulgent in drugs and alcohol. Another job falls his way though, from local, ruthless businessman Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), who hires him to do some public relations work on a secret hotel development that will undoubtedly exploit the natives. Kemp soon finds out that everyone on this island is pretty much out for themselves.

“Fear and Loathing…” didn’t have a coherent storyline and suffered because of it. This plays out Hunter S. Thompson’s story in a more tame and linear fashion but even this doesn’t work. Maybe Thompson is just one of those writers whose prose don’t transfer well to the screen. On this evidence, that would seem to be the case. It keeps threatening to deliver some chaotic behaviour from it’s drug and alcohol induced characters but never follows through. Instead, it meanders and ultimately ends up a real slog. This is surprising, as Robinson had covered similar ground with the boozy eccentricity of “Withnail And I“, yet he never really gets a handle on this one. The performances are good; Depp can do these off-beat characters in his sleep and there is fine support from Rispoli as his new friend and drinking partner. The highlights come from two of my favourite supporting actors though, in Richard Jenkins and Giovanni Ribisi. Jenkins, as always, is a treat as the short-tempered editor, throwing out line after line of sharp dialogue, adding much of the humour in the early part of the film. He soon disappears from view though which leaves it up to Ribisi to flourish. He’s the most interesting character, as a crazed and constantly drug-idled reporter, but unfortunately, he never really gets let loose the way he should.

It depicts both the glitz and the grime of Puerto Rico and has all the makings of a lunacy filled adventure but, sadly, doesn’t live up to expectations. Director Robinson hadn’t made a film for nearly 20 years… it shows.

Mark Walker

Director: Roman Polanski.
Screenplay: Yasmina Reza, Roman Polanski.
Starring: Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster, Elvis Polanski, Eliot Berger.

“God Of Carnage” by Yasmina Reza was originally a stage play that featured on Broadway, with such talented performers as James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis. Supposedly, it was quite a powerful piece, so Roman Polanski always had his work cut out in adapting it for the screen.

Alan and Nancy Cowan (Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet) pay a visit to Michael and Penelope Longstreet (John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster) to discuss an upsetting schoolyard incident in which the first couple’s son has beat up the other’s. These four intelligent adults, hope they can resolve their differences with a positive approach and teach their children about responsibility, instead of resorting to physical or verbal abuse. However, things don’t quite work out that way.

Having not seen or read the play, my experience of this is based solely on Polanski’s version. He has been criticised for not capturing the claustrophobia of the play but I have to say that the film really worked for me. There is obvious tensions between the characters and with nowhere for them to go but to sit around a cramped apartment, talking through their differences, the tension builds admirably. Granted, it wasn’t as intense as I was expecting but what it did have (that I wasn’t expecting) was a lot of humour. This is mainly down to four joyful performances. Throughout their (intended) cordial meeting, each character displays their viewpoints. In the beginning, they’re subtle but as tempers begin to fray, they get more vicious with their barrage of abuse towards one another. The conduct of their behaviour often reflects their chosen professions. Foster is an aspiring writer, choosing her words carefully; Waltz is a high profile attorney who jumps on her every word; Winslet the frustrated housewife and Reilly, a low-key salesman finding himself the go-between during the escalating discomfort. Each one of the four actors put in fine performances but Reilly and Waltz are the particular standouts. Polanski himself, doesn’t have to do much but allow his actors to take charge of their roles. And that they do.
Capturing claustrophobic situations and heightened tensions between his characters is a notable gift that Polanski has shown throughout his films. The most notable comparison (also based on a stage play) is “Death And The Maiden“. So, that being said, it’s surprising that he was criticised for a lack of it here. If you go into this expecting humour then you won’t be disappointed and it’s always a bonus that the actual playwright contributes with the screenplay also.

A finely tuned chamber piece that delivers a real sense of uncomfortable cordiality. The characters are identifiable and the actors deliver with aplomb.

Mark Walker

Director: Mike Mills
Screenplay: Mike Mills
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Lou Taylor Pucci, Cosmo.

Writer/Director Mike Mills’ long awaited follow-up to his 2005 film “Thumbsucker” arrives with this independent emotional drama that has a similar sense for the off-beat that his previous outing had. This, however, doesn’t impress as much.

Oliver (Ewan McGregor) is a graphic artist that is coming to terms with the death of his father Hal (Christopher Plummer). In his time of grief, he embarks on a romance with French actress Anna (Melanie Laurent), while remembering the past of his parents’ failed marriage and when his father revealed that he was gay, and dying of cancer.

I can’t honestly say that I was entirely drawn to this film upon it’s release. I only checked it out for Plummer’s Oscar winning supporting turn, of which, he made history by being the oldest actor to ever be awarded at age 82. The performances of McGregor, Laurent and Goran Visnjic are to be commended also though but Plummer does get the juicier role. As for the material itself, it was peppered with an original quirkiness that managed to just about see it through some periodic lulls. It was too slow for me but I have a suspicion that this might serve better on a second viewing. During my initial sitting though, I found it to waver and lose it’s momentum after the hour mark. Ultimately, it’s the zesty characters of Plummer and Laurent that keep the film ticking over and despite a good effort from McGregor, his character is a bit too dull and depressing to fully relate to. As it’s him that drives the story, the journey becomes somewhat repetitive.

A semi-autobiographical and highly personal story from Mike Mills that has an obvious air of catharsis. It just doesn’t allow you to engage, as well as it should.

Mark Walker

Director: Alexander Payne.
Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Patricia Hastie, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, Robert Forster, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel.

Director/co-writer Alexander Payne’s (handful of) films always deal with similar themes and tortured, struggling protagonists. Matthew Broderick was a hapless schoolteacher in “Election”; Jack Nicholson was an angst-ridden widower in “About Schmidt” and Paul Giamatti was a social-misfit, wine connoisseur in “Sideways”. Now, it’s George Clooney as an estranged workaholic husband/father in Payne’s best film so far.

Matt King (Clooney), a descendant of one of Hawaii’s first white land-owning families, must decide whether to go ahead with a multi-million dollar land deal that will destroy a vast bit of Hawaiian forestry to be replaced with tourists and condominiums. At the same time, he faces a personal crisis. His wife has had a boating accident, leaving her in a coma. Matt now faces the decision to disconnect her life support and become a single father to his two daughters, 17 year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and 10 year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) while dealing with the frustration of the locals at his proposed business deal.

The key to a good drama is finding the right balance between humour and pathos. Alexander Payne has a keen sense for this. He sees the absurdity in every day experiences and paints realistic and flawed protagonists. His characters can sometimes have a comical element to them but they are never trivialised. They are not ‘movie’ characters. They are human with flaws and Payne’s skills in writing show this. He has consistently observed ordinary people in ordinary situations and rarely have they been captured so well. As a director, Payne’s skills lie in drawing marvellous performances from his actors and it’s here that George Clooney shines. He’s an actor that I greatly admire and one who makes intelligent choices. His range is also extensive with hilarious comedic roles in the likes of “O Brother Where Art Thou?” and “Burn After Reading” or serious dramatic roles in “Michael Clayton”, “Solaris” and his (supporting) Oscar winning role in “Syriana”. This film has garnered him some more Oscar buzz with his Third leading actor nomination. And rightfully so. Clooney delivers a subtle and soulful performance that’s not without regular humorous moments either. He’s not alone though. Shailene Woodley as his eldest daughter is marvellous also and lends great support in some heartfelt and hilarious tete-a-tete’s and brief but effective support is displayed by veterans Robert Forster and Beau Bridges. (The latter showing a glimmer of his brother Jeff’s iconic turn in “The Big Lebowski”). The Hawaiian setting could also be included as a character, it looks absolutely stunning playing it’s part as a real feast for the eyes.

Human drama’s don’t come much better or more nuanced than this. Great writing and great acting give rise to one of the year’s genuine gems.

Mark Walker

Director: Richard Ayoade.
Screenplay: Richard Ayoade.
Starring: Craig Roberts, Sally Hawkins, Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Yasmin Paige, Darren Evans, Osian Cai Dulais, Lily McCann, Otis Lloyd, Ben Stiller.

Director Richard Ayoade is better known for his acting chops on the television comedy series “The IT Crowd”. Not a series I was particularly fond of though, as the humour seemed quite forced. However, that’s not what Ayoade brings to this. He brings a subtlety, a realism and a highly creative and visual approach.

Based on the novel by Joe Dunthorne it tells the story of precocious, 15 year old boy Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) approaching manhood. A major rite-of-passage that he faces is that he’s besotted with Jordana (Yasmin Paige), a feisty girl in his class. Yet, as he embarks on his first relationship, he also frets over the relationship of his parents Jill (Sally Hawkins) and Lloyd (Noah Taylor), a situation exacerbated by his mum’s ex-boyfriend, Graham T. Purvis (Paddy Considine), a self help guru, who has moved in next door.

A sharp, observational coming-of-age tale with a precise insight into the awkwardness of adolescence, not to mention, disillusioned, mundane adulthood. It’s a very impressive directorial debut from Richard Ayoade, who’s artistic and quirky style perfectly matches the eccentricities of the characters onscreen. Despite a few visual florishes here and there, this is not a flashy film by any means. Everything is very understated. So much so, that a lot of the humour may go right over your head. But this understatement is to Ayoade’s credit as well as his exceptional cast. The wonderful Sally Hawkins delivers another strong character to her resume as the neurotic, repressed mother. The very underrated Noah Taylor is marvellous as the depressed father and Paddy Considine never ceases to amaze me with his brilliant portrayal of the self-help ‘mystic ninja’. The real star though, is Craig Roberts as our young eccentric protaganist. An avid reader of the dictionary, who’s keeps surveillance on his parents. All nervous energy, shifty eyes and desperation. He’s a real find and handles every scene he’s in with aplomb. To stand out in the company of the aforementioned supporting actors is talent indeed. Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkey’s also deserves a mention for providing a touching soundtrack of melancholic songs throughout this heartfelt and unconventional story of teenage angst. Comparisons with director Hal Ashby’s “Harold and Maude” and director Wes Anderson’s style are there for a reason. As that film and Anderson’s stuff are favourites of mine, I enjoyed this immensely.

An absolute gem of film with a lot of style and a lot of heart. Pragmatic, low-key and one of the year’s genuine treats.

Mark Walker