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“Pina” A must see film for lovers of dance and film!

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It is not very often that I get to write about dance presented in a different medium. But a film like Pina is an exception worthy of all of the attention and buzz. This incredible documentary is of the works of Pina Bausch, one the most stunningly original artistic voices of our lifetime. Ms. Bausch agreed to work with the brilliant film director Wim Wenders, who was inspired to create the film after seeing a performance of her company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. Filmed in 3-D and 2-D, this is a dazzling treat no matter the cinematic format. In the film, you will get the opportunity to see her work as presented on the stage and also re-staged for non traditional spaces, including the outdoors. The visceral nature of her work was ripe for this cinematic love poem. Her singular vision is something to behold. Do not be surprised if you encounter all of the dancers from our community in the audience. They are delirious with excitement to experience this film. I can think of no better endorsement.

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To learn more about the company and Pina Bausch go to:

http://www.pina-bausch.de/en/index.php

Pina is currently in the running for a Best Documentary Oscar at the 84th Annual Academy Awards being presented this Sunday. And honestly when can you say you have seen one of the oscar nominated films in this category?

PINA opens Feb. 24 at the Neon Movies and showtimes are below:
Fri, Sat, Sun (Feb 24-26)
2:45, 5:00, 7:20, 9:30

Film Review – Ghost Rider – Spirit of Vengeance (C+)

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I don’t think a movie has ever benefitted more strongly from comparison with its predecessor.

Directed by Mark Neveldine from a story by David Goyer (of Blade, Batman Begins and FlashForward fame), Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is by no means a great film. In fact, it’s rather woefully put together in some ways, and if you’re not a fan of Nicolas Cage I’d skip it altogether, since this is definitely one of his more idiosyncratic performances. But compared to his earlier turn as the skull-faced superhero in 2007, Spirit of Vengeance is a masterpiece.

Cage returns as Johnny Blaze, a former daredevil motorcyclist who sold his soul to the Devil, and is now doomed to transform into the titular demon whenever bad guys are around. On the bum in Eastern Europe, Blaze becomes the (reluctant) guardian angel of a young boy and his mother after being offered a chance to be freed of his curse in exchange for protecting them.

Let’s start with what works. First off, the filmmakers get the tone right this time around. Unlike its often jarringly goofy and light-hearted predecessor, SoV is a darker take on the material, and the change is overwhelmingly for the better. There’s still plenty of humor, of both the intentional and presumably unintentional variety (one scene in particular, featuring Cage at his hammiest as he terrorizes a hapless goon, had the audience at the Rave falling out of their seats), but overall this one is much edgier.

Johnny’s characterization has been much improved as well. Whereas the first film’s version of Blaze seemed to have things pretty well in hand by the time the credits rolled, Johnny 2.0 is a brooding, isolated figure struggling to control his alter ego and desperately searching for a cure, like a supernatural update on The Incredible Hulk.

Finally, the title character himself cuts a much more impressive figure in his second big-screen outing. The first film’s visual effects were underwhelming at best and downright laughable at worst; the transformation sequences were dismal, and the finished product looked like something out of an old Looney Tunes short. In contrast, the Rider looks downright menacing here, with scorched bones, flames that produce actual smoke, and grimy black duds that remind me of Jason in the old Friday the 13th movies. More than anything, he looks like he’s actually there, and that makes all the difference.

The film has its weaknesses, don’t get me wrong. None of the characters besides Blaze are especially well-developed, the villains are one-dimensional mustache twirlers, and the editing during some of the action sequences is confusing and leaves much to be desired. Some of the transitions between scenes are a bit jarring as well. My biggest problem with the film, however, is with the 3-D presentation.

Now, I need to make a confession: this is the first 3-D film I’ve actually seen. So there may be some kind of a learning curve involved, or the conditions at the theater where I saw it may not have been ideal (I was sitting awfully close to the screen, for instance, and I’ve heard the effect works better if you’re sitting somewhere near the middle). Maybe, as a friend of mine suggested after the screening, this particular film simply doesn’t benefit from the process as much as other films would. But, personally, I found the 3-D aspect of the viewing to be distracting and even borderline irritating at times.

First, the glasses. I was aware of the fact that I was wearing them the entire time, and I was constantly aware of the black bars around the perimeter of my vision (especially since I was sitting so close to the screen, which made me have to move my eyes back and forth much more than I’m used to in order to follow the action). Second, while the 3-D looked cool in a few places, it mostly amounted to people standing around on screen and me thinking, “Well, they certainly stand out more against the background than they usually would.” Not nearly cool enough to balance out the inconveniences involved, in other words.

All in all, however, I had a good time watching this film, and it was miles better than the original (for my take on that one, by the way, check out my blog, which is linked on my Contributor page). I give it two-and-a-half out of four flaming skullheads (C+).

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Film Review – Take Shelter (A)

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Michael Shannon as Curtis

If you enjoy edge-of-your-seat psychological thrillers, I suggest you stop reading right now and go see Take Shelter. In one of the best movies I have seen all year, Michael Shannon (The Runaways, Revolutionary Road) gives a truly unforgettable performance as Curtis, a husband and father who believes he is struggling with a newly formed mental illness……but is he?

Director Jeff Nichols brings to the screen a multifaceted story, reaching many levels of human emotion. Curtis deals with things we all experience: strained relationships, unemployment, and the death of loved ones. But do we handle these issues while suffering from apocalyptic hallucinations, delusions and freakish nightmares? The line between what is reality and what is in the mind is completely blurred, and Curtis digs himself into a deeper and deeper hole (literally and figuratively).

Unable to communicate with his wife, Curtis delves further into a dark place, fearing the end of the world. The anxiety and terror overcomes every aspect of his life and causes him to make major changes that no one understands. Piece by piece, Curtis’s life begins to fall apart, and his solitary journey continues into despair.

This movie is the definition of the drama genre, and I am not exaggerating when I say my heart was pounding the entire time. The tension and apprehension that these characters convey is contagious and the last scene will…… well, you will just have to find out. Rachel Gearhardt, a senior college student who saw the movie on opening night adds, “The ending was the culmination of what was a very intense and thought-provoking movie.”

Aside from the high caliber cast, the film’s original music by David Wingo was nothing short of haunting. Paired with the incredible special effects done by the same company that worked on Avatar and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, this movie is a recipe for a suspenseful experience you will not soon forget.

One of the more remarkable things about production that I learned in a post-film Q&A session with producer Tyler Davidson was that this picture was shot in a mere 24 days. Davidson mentioned that the film was produced entirely out of order and some of the work days lasted an entire 24 hours. There is no way an audience could ever tell that time was such an issue because the quality of production goes above and beyond. Jonathan McNeal, owner of The Neon, who attended the Toronto Film Festival and viewed 34 films over the span of just nine days ranked it among his top three favorites. The film has been nominated for six awards and won at the Cannes Film Festival and the Hollywood Film Festival.

A few words of advice for when you “take shelter” at The Neon, don’t forget your gas mask.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5U4TtYpKIc’]

Film Review – The Way (D)

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Synopsis:

Tom (Martin Sheen) is an American doctor who travels to France following the death of his adult son, Daniel (Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees during a storm while trekking The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of St. James. Tom’s initial purpose is to retrieve his son’s body. However, a combination of grief and homage to his son inspires Tom to journey on this path of pilgrims. While walking The Camino, Tom befriends others from around the world (Yorick Van Wageningen, Deborah Kara Unger, and James Nesbitt) who are also broken and looking for greater meaning in their lives.

Review:

The potentially appealing idea of real-life father & son, Martin Sheen & Emilio Estevez sharing the screen together is undermined by a wealth of trite, new age-y theatrics in this well-intentioned, yet misconceived drama directed by Emilio Estevez. Estevez’s follow-up to the equally dramatically inert 2006’s Bobby follows every trope of the road movie genre as well as the “man without faith learning to believe” subgenre.

Martin Sheen stars as Tom, an ophthalmologist of conservative beliefs whose estranged son Dan played by Emilio Estevez, has been killed while travelling the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route. Sheen gives the role his all, but proves to be no match for the overbearing schmaltz operating throughout the film. However, he does manage to register brief moments of genuine pathos to the character mainly in moments that utilize silence to convey his grief rather than the false sentiments that permeate the majority of the film. An early scene in which Tom visits his deceased son’s body in the morgue makes effective use of sparse dialogue interspersed with cross cutting to Estevez’s character, Daniel on the verge of meeting his tragic end. Tcheky Karyo, far too briefly appears as a French police captain in the aforementioned scene managing to be the sole actor capable of adequately delivering Estevez’s clumsily written lines with his dignity intact. The level of fluidity and competency displayed in Estevez’s direction all but disappears after this scene.

The remainder of The Way devolves at a rapid pace into a slog of walking montages, each one more laborious than the last, occasionally interrupted with scenes of recycled fish out of water humor of the “Oh that silly American” variety & trite philosophizing. Any undercurrents of honesty from the characters are undercut by direction that is at times awkwardly stilted and uneven. Hallmark card worthy pearls of wisdom such as (“You don’t choose a life; you live one”) are frequently dispensed out of our lead characters. The none too subtle homage to the Wizard of Oz (the emotionally hardened feminist-The Tin Man, the self-consciously overweight Dutchman-Cowardly Lion, and the intrusive writer-The Scarecrow) do nothing more than further illustrate how many more complexities those fantastical characters have compared to these flesh and blood characters.

The utter lack of substance offered to the relationship between Sheen and Estevez’s characters is the most disappointing aspect of this drama. Limited to brief flashbacks serving the purpose of delivering lazy exposition are the only moments we share with these two characters. The lone reason the viewer is given to invest in Tom’s plight is that he’s Daniel’s father therefore we as the viewer should automatically feel his pain. The overused motif of Tom seeing the ghost of Daniel offers zero dramatic impact as Daniel’s ghost remains silent at his every appearance. One verbal exchange between these two characters delving into the intricacies of their relationship would’ve made all the difference yet Daniel remains a silent cipher providing all of the dramatic value of a Where’s Waldo picture. The overbearingly precious and sentimental score by Tyler Bates accompanied by hilariously on the nose song cues from artists such as The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, & Alanis Morissette do an additional disservice in providing any sliver of subtlety.

Fulfilling the role of Tom’s fellow travelers, only Deborah Kara Unger gets any substantive material to work with. However, her role is mired with an abundance of self consciously hardened women dialogue. By the time Unger and Sheen have a heart to heart discussing the abortion of her unborn daughter, eye rolling seemed to be the only viable option to respond to such an obvious tactic to tug at the heartstrings.Van Wageningen and Nesbitt fare even worse, registering as nothing more than broad strokes than fully realized characters with the former being an overweight hash smoker who learns he shouldn’t eat so much and the latter overcoming his writer’s block. The sights of stunning French country sides and cathedrals end up garnering more of dramatic response than the enlightenment any of these characters reach at the end of their journey.

On a positive note, every 30 minutes or so a joke connected eliciting a minor chuckle and Deborah Kara Unger continues to possess an alluring screen presence as she transitions from sex-pot femme fatale roles in films such as David Cronenberg’s Crash and David Fincher’s The Game into more demure roles. Despite Estevez sincerely wearing his heart on his sleeve through every frame of The Way, the film ultimately adds up to nothing more than a ham fisted Lifetime Movie of the Week.

The Way is currently being screening around the country in a grass roots campaign organized by Estevez and will be screening at The Neon beginning Oct. 21st, 2011.

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Film Review – The Ides of March (A-)

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(L-R) George Clooney as Governer Mike Morris, Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Ehle as Mrs. Morris and Talia Akiva as Beth Morris in ``The Ides of March.''

It’s official. Brooklyn playwright Beau Willimon, one of the finest contemporary voices of his generation who took top honors at the 2005 Dayton Playhouse FutureFest of new works for his incredibly engrossing political drama “Farragut North,” will likely become the nationally recognized festival’s first champion to receive an Academy Award nomination.

“Farragut North,” which premiered off-Broadway in 2008 and takes its name from a Washington D.C. subway station near lobbyist-friendly K Street, has been excellently adapted by Willimon, George Clooney and Grant Heslov as “The Ides of March,” a powerful, intimate, fast-paced look at the schemes and pitfalls of a heated Democratic presidential primary in must-win Ohio. Sleekly directed by Clooney and primarily shot on location in Cincinnati, “The Ides of March,” a surefire Oscar contender for Best Picture and Best Director, centers on hotshot press secretary Stephen Meyers (a terrifically cool, suave and cunning Ryan Gosling) whose world is turned upside down when he begins to question his staunch allegiance to liberal Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris (a charismatic, dynamically assertive Clooney). Especially attractive to younger voters, Morris, firmly against the death penalty and America’s dependence on foreign oil, appears to be an ideal, formidable Obama-esque candidate, but Stephen stumbles upon an intriguing indiscretion that places his savior in an extremely damaging light. As betrayal and blackmail surface with impactful twists and turns, Stephen’s compelling tug-of-war with Morris, his fellow staffers, his chief adversary and an inquisitive journalist becomes a gripping thrill ride of secrets and lies. The story doesn’t break new ground, but still addresses its core themes of hubris and loyalty with thought-provoking insight.

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With keen attention to detail, Clooney, spearheading his best cinematic outing since 2008’s “Good Night, and Good Luck,” expertly showcases the grueling yet flavorful pulse of the campaign trail from the hustle and bustle of headquarters to private conversations spoken in the shadows. He also crafts top notch performances from one of the strongest ensembles you’ll find on screen this year. Gosling, a recent knockout in the fantastic indie “Drive” and underrated “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” conveys an appealing inner fire throughout as well as an engaging sensitivity in his magnetic scenes with the luminous Evan Rachel Wood as Molly, a dutiful intern. The always commanding and entertaining Philip Seymour Hoffman, expressing a hint of campaign fatigue in his eyes, is superbly disconcerted as Paul Zara, Morris’ campaign manager whose particularly testy confrontation with Stephen set against the backdrop of the American flag is nothing short of fantastic. Paul Giamatti, in one of his juiciest roles, is splendidly shrewd as rival campaign manager Tom Duffy. Marisa Tomei brings great color and personality to her portrayal of Ida, a skeptical New York Times reporter. Tony Award winner Jeffrey Wright (“Angels in America”) shines in his brief role as an opportunistic senator. The Oscar race for Best Supporting Actor is bound to include Clooney, Giamatti or Hoffman.

Willimon, who assisted Howard Dean during his 2004 presidential campaign, certainly could have adapted the screenplay on his own, which would have provided a more accurate reflection of the conceptual strengths within “Farragut North,” specifically the testosterone-fueled dialogue’s rapid fire zing that feels slightly less vigorous and snappy on screen. Even so, in expanding Willimon’s original framework, Clooney and Heslov’s contributions do not diminish its potency or relevance. In addition to inevitably and astutely reshaping Morris as a major character (he is unseen in “Farragut North”), an emotionally charged subplot involving Molly and a striking new ending that heightens Stephen’s clout and fortitude are very effective. Side comments about an unenthusiastic field of Republican candidates and Democrats proclaiming themselves as underdogs also help the film remain topical while remaining neutral on the whole.

“The Ides of March” is a testament to Dayton’s ability to be a viable launching pad for emerging artists across the country. The Dayton Playhouse recognized, encouraged and rewarded Willimon’s immense talent long before Hollywood took notice. In January, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will surely follow suit.

 

The Ides of March

Rated: R

Running time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

Screenings: Rave Motion Pictures The Greene 14, Rave Motion Pictures Huber Heights 16, Rave Motion Pictures Dayton South 16, Regal Hollywood 20 at Fairfield Commons

Film Review – Senna (B+)

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“It was pure driving, pure racing, there wasn’t any politics, no money involved either. It was real racing”. These introductory words spoken by Brazilian Formula 1 race car driver,

Ayrton Senna’s sets an apt tone for a story of an athlete whose spirit remained pure in the midst of an increasingly commercialized and impure sport.

The documentary, Senna opens with Ayrton Senna as a rookie driver at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1984. Shuttling his way from 13th to 2nd place, bested only by his eventual arch rival, French driver, Alain Prost on the account of a technicality, Senna makes it clear that he will become a force to be reckoned with at an alarming rate.

Senna’s story is told through a series of confessionals by his friends, family, and former colleagues. The film refreshingly, (and contrary to an earlier cut of the film) avoids resorting to a series of talking heads, instead maintaining a captivatingly cinematic feel with the use of exhilarating archival footage of Senna’s races complemented with narration. Plenty of the footage, especially the first person recordings taking place inside of Senna’s car have been previously unreleased. There isn’t a single race depicted in the film that doesn’t induce the nail-biting fear that these racers, Senna included may not cross the finish line unscathed. Feasting on the striking images of Formula 1 cars soaring across the race track in a hail of flurries, no amount of CGI NOS fuel injections will ever equate to the level of intensity felt in these scenes. The film does an expertly restrained job at molding Ayrton Senna into a martyr leading up to his final race at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. Following the untimely death of the Brazilian driver at the age of 34, previously unpracticed safety measures were implemented before all Formula 1 races. As a result, not a single fatality has occurred at a Formula 1 race since.

Widely considered a national hero in his birthplace of Brazil, director Asif Kapadia respectfully acknowledges the iconic display of talent and courage that Ayrton Senna embodied
throughout the duration of his far too abbreviated life and career. In addition to having keenly acute driving skills, Senna also acquired an uncanny ability to persevere in the unlikeliest of
situations. At one point, Senna manages to win a race with a stalling engine. On another occasion he wins a race on water logged tracks while steering a car stuck in 6th gear, earning the moniker ”genius in the rain”. Even as Senna’s career catches steam, Kapadia is conscious to resist bombast and maintains a quaint mood to the narrative of the documentary.

Ayrton Senna is as an eloquently well spoken man, concerned more with the well being of his home country, Brazil, than the spoils of fame. Even at his most philosophical, Senna never exudes a sense of self indulgence that would often result from the astonishing number of accolades he garnered throughout his short lived career. Marked by his words, “I’m as scared as anyone of getting hurt”, his humble yet truthful demeanor makes his final moments all the more tragic. The documentary is culminated in a scene of his funeral proceedings that’s as heart wrenching as any piece of fictional cinema that’s been depicted this year.

In hindsight, much of the film carries a sense of foreboding tragedy. Early on, Senna makes a New Year’s Eve themed appearance on a personal favorite 80’s relic of mine, Xuxa in 1989. She eerily gives him a New Year’s kiss for each year leading up to 1993, which happened to be the final New Year’s he would experience before his death. Other red flags such as fellow driver, Roland Ratzenberger being killed in San Marino during the race the day before Senna’s fatal accident stacks the deck of dread that permeates the third act of the documentary. Wisely, the film doesn’t revel in the potential horror of the situation and presents the unfolding of events as evenly as possible.

Senna succeeds at depicting Ayrton’s talent and a specific time in the media notoriety of Formula 1 racing however, it paints noticeably broad strokes concerning the politically questionable nature of Formula 1 Corporation. His personal relationships with his family and significant others are also devoted fleeting attention at best. What the documentary lacks in gravitas, it makes up for in the visceral portrayal of racing. Each high octane scene of racing is accompanied by a hauntingly kinetic score that never overwhelms or manipulates the narrative.

As satisfying as Senna is, don’t expect a sports documentary that’s nearly as dense or comprehensive as Hoop Dreams. However, on its own terms, Senna is by no means a puff piece and serves to be an exhilarating documentary about an athlete who’s far past receiving his due respect among mainstream audiences.

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A College Student’s Perspective on the LGBT Film Festival

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Saturday, September 24th, the second day of the Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival, was a day full of firsts for me. I had never been to The Neon before, Dayton’s independent movie theater, nor had I been to an LGBT Film Fest. When approaching The Neon (which is literally a neon building!), I had no idea what to expect, but with a welcoming staff and buzzing atmosphere, I was immediately at ease.

Jonathan McNeal, manager of The Neon and founder of the LGBT Film Fest, was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his hectic schedule to share some insight about his experiences with me. He says, “Introducing the community to fresh and new great material and giving people an opportunity to speak with artists about their craft” is his favorite aspect of the festival. “The festival provides the community with stories and films that aren’t often available from or embraced by the mainstream media and entertainment venues.”

With two sell-outs over the weekend and sizeable audiences otherwise, McNeal and The Neon certainly know how to put on a show. In addition to viewing some incredible independent films, viewers had a chance to win prizes at the beginning of every showing simply by having their ticket with them. Audience members were not only Dayton locals; viewers also had the pleasure of partaking in a Q&A session with directors and actors of the films after two of the showings I attended.

The first viewing I attended, “Top Drawer Shorts”, was a series of six short films: The Queen, The Not So Subtle Subtext, Lust Life, Change, Revolution and I Don’t Want To Go Back Alone. In his quick introduction before the films, McNeal mentioned that dozens of short films from around the world were considered, but these six were chosen. For me, it was difficult to choose a favorite because the majority of the shorts were all significant and meaningful films that addressed issues of gays, lesbians, minorities and being a young person growing up in America. These issues are important to people of all ages and these movies knew how to speak to people of any orientation.

The Queen, a seven minute American film was a hilarious spin on the beloved 80’s teen flicks such as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, or Pretty in Pink. It’s the night before prom and a lonely teenaged boy is stuck working in his family’s dry cleaning shop. A couple, who are fellow students of his, need their tux and pink prom dress dry cleaned at the last minute. The boy takes it upon himself to see that their clothes are ready for the next day, but not before he wears the dress himself and slow dances with the tux, only to be walked in on by his mother. In a funny and awkward story with a “stellar” 80’s soundtrack, this short film was entertaining and heartfelt.

Revolution, whose director Abdi Nazemian attended the festival and offered a short Q&A after the film, was an impressive picture about a young Iranian boy adjusting to life in America. With parents who control ever y aspect of his life, the boy finds that he has no choice but to rebel against them and their suffocating rules. Nazemian, a first time director, did an excellent job, but not without difficulties as he explained after the film. He described the challenges of finding Iranian men and young boys who were willing to be involved with a film with a homosexual main character. However, this was crucial because Nazemian wanted to emphasize how difficult it is to lead a life being both culturally different as well as gay. Powerful performances defined this short picture along with smart and humorous dialogue. Unfortunately, as Nazemian said, few independent films are on DVD, so keep an eye out for other showings!

Tomboy, directed by Celine Sciamam, is a French film about a 10-year-old girl named Laure who decides to reinvent herself into a boy when her family moves to a new town. Laure takes on the character and personality of her own invention, Michaël, and in a remarkable performance by Zoé Héran, gives incredible insight into the mind of a transgendered child. Instantly put on the side of the main character, the understanding and empathy for children with these struggles was poignant and heartrending. Laure’s relationship with her parents, her sister, and her new friends all showed different stages of Laure’s mental processes. Laure’s parents, who are clueless about their daughter’s disguise, remain ignorant until the climax of the movie when Laure is forced to reveal herself as a girl. Laure’s younger sister, Jeanne, who does not quite understand her sister’s decisions but remains unwaveringly loyal to her throughout, is the only character who knows the truth the whole time. Laure’s new friends (and girlfriend) remain in the dark until Laure is forced to come forward by her mother. Watching an innocent child struggle internally and externally with their identity and thrive as a boy and be miserable as a girl sheds light on the reality of the situations that happen every day. After asking a few members of the audience what their reaction was to the film, Kevin O’Donnell, 18-year-old first time LGBT Film attendee says he was “impressed by the level of maturity of both sisters, especially them both being so young.” His friend, 17-year-old Madison Koebke agreed that the sisters were amazing and reminded her of her own family. A film that hits close to home with unforgettable performances by actors under the age of 10 made Tomboy the hit of the day for me.

No matter your orientation, age or gender I greatly encourage any and all to attend LGBT events, whether it is a film festival or other sponsored event in the future. The event spoke to the LGBT community, but not exclusively, and the culture and education that you can receive right here in downtown Dayton is priceless (and I only went to day two of the three day long festival!). Support your city, support your community, and you will take away some wonderful experiences.

Film Review – Midnight in Paris (B-)

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Midnight in Paris
@ The Neon
June 12, 2011
Grade: B-

Woody Allen’s getting a little long in the tooth to play opposite beautiful, young actresses these days, so he had Owen Wilson do it for him in “Midnight in Paris.” Wilson stars as Gil, a Hollywood screenwriter who, though successful, feels unfulfilled as a wannabe Hemingway. The ever-present romantic in Gil sees a business trip with his fiancee, Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents as an opportunity to “walk the streets of Paris in the rain” and to work on his novel. Inez and her conservative family have other ideas. So, when Gil finds himself walking the streets lost and alone late one night, he finds himself magically transported to 1920s Paris, a time and place occupied by his heroes, F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) and other artistic and literary gods.

Taking advantage of a film phenomenon that could be described as Groundhog Day combined with Field of Dreams, Gil discovers that every night at midnight he’s able to hobnob with the most influential people of the early 20th century. As if finding himself in his ideal place and time in all of human existence isn’t gift enough, Gil quickly meets and is accepted into the elite 1920s social circle that includes Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cole Porter, Pablo Picasso and many other people you’ve heard of. Gil even gets Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) to proofread his manuscript.

While Gil’s initial trips back to his personal heaven are productive and fun, (we get to see what a drunken conversation between Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso might look like) the nightly time travels begin to become unnecessary and stagnant, eventually coming off as little more than an effort to drop as many huge names as possible. “You’re T.S. Eliot!”

Each new intellectual giant of the era Gil encounters has less impact than the previous. It’s impossible to develop the hypothetical social behavior of so many complex individuals inside of two hours and introducing so many new characters becomes tiresome. The best and most humorous scenes of the movie involve Gil seeking the advice of Hemingway, as he’s all at once mesmerized by the unlikely circumstances and overwhelmed by Hemingway’s honesty and intensity. Even moviegoers with just a passing understanding of Hemingway’s style like myself will be able to laugh when he passes along advice to Gil on love and life. Stoll’s Hemingway was particularly entertaining and I would’ve preferred a more specific story that allowed Gil to continue to interact with Hemingway and others who could relate to Gil’s predicament. I get why we’re meeting Gertrude Stein, Gil needs help with his novel. But why are we meeting Salvador Dali?

After acquiring the affection of Picasso’s mistress, Adriana (Marion Cotillard), and besting both Picasso and Hemingway in the process (you can just picture Allen smiling as he imagines himself in this scenario), Gil learns from her that even the most interesting people living in the most interesting time can be unhappy in their present. This is a revelation that lets Gil free himself of both his unpromising engagement to Inez and his obsession with his trips to the 20s.

Ultimately, the majority of Midnight in Paris is undeniably fun, often humorous and the performances are good across the board. I just found much of it disappointing due to an engaging, exciting first half that faded away and the unfulfilled potential of the premise.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYRWfS2s2v4′]

Film Review – Win Win (B+)

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Win Win
@ The Neon
April 21, 2011
Grade: B+

I’ll always think it’s a better idea when making a sports movie to try to convert an athlete into an actor rather than the other way around; especially when the athlete portrayed on screen is supposed to be elite. So, I was pleased that director Tom McCarthy chose former New Jersey state wrestling champion Alex Shaffer to play Kyle in Win Win. Shaffer’s athletic ability is needed to play the role of wrestling phenom Kyle because no audience is going to accept Frankie Muniz or some similarly sized actor as a dominant 119 pound wrestler. Shaffer was the right choice because he actually is a phenom and it’s believable that his abilities are  capable of delivering a sudden jolt of relevance, perspective and excitement to the lives of three grown men, as Kyle is able to do for his new wrestling coach Mike Flaherty, played by Paul Giamatti and his two assistants, played by Bobby Cannavale and Jeffrey Tambor.

Flaherty is a relatively unsuccessful, too nice for his own good lawyer and volunteer high school wrestling coach who early on makes an uncharacteristic and morally questionable decision you know he’ll end up paying for. Flaherty assumes legal guardianship of an elderly, confused client named Leo Poplar (Burt Young) who happens to have a 16-year-old grandson named Kyle in need of a place in the world thanks to a train wreck of a mother. Flaherty and Kyle’s paths soon cross and, as a wrestling coach, it’s not long before Flaherty, Terry (Cannavale) and Coach Vig (Tambor) realize they have stumbled upon a talent the likes of which they’ve never seen. Coach Vig sums up the excited yet intimidated feelings of all three coaches by exclaiming during Kyle’s first practice, “I don’t think we can teach him anything.”

The story progresses in fairly predictable, sports movie fashion: losing, discovery of talent, trust building, winning, loss of trust, losing, moral victory. Which is not to say that the story doesn’t work, it just doesn’t really matter. There are touching moments, the performances are good and the characters are easy to root for, but Win Win is good because it’s funny. The funniest moments coming as a result of Kyle’s talent and laid back persona garnering the rather unhealthy affection of his coaches. Terry verbalizes the feelings of the other coaches and wrestlers when first seeing Kyle’s back full of tattoos during a weigh-in by saying, in all seriousness, “This kid’s so #&@!ing cool.”

Although the cast is strong and all of the known actors, including Amy Ryan (The Office, The Wire) as Flaherty’s strong, smarter than everyone else wife, deliver as you’d expect them to, Win Win does not work AT ALL without newcomer Alex Shaffer. Aside from his athletic talent which got him the part, he has no trouble conveying the emotions and attitude of a soft spoken teenage boy without a home. He also has no trouble assuming a dominant position when on screen with his older and infinitely more experienced counterparts. You’ve seen stories like this before, but Shaffer’s frequent interactions with his eager mentors provoke easy laughter, which is all I ask out of a comedy.

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Film Review – Cedar Rapids (B+)

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Cedar Rapids
@ The Neon
March 11, 2011
Grade: B+

Ed Helms (The Hangover, The Office) somehow summons a more naive and innocent Andy Bernard in his portrayal of Tim Lippe in Cedar Rapids. Lippe is a trustworthy, small town insurance salesman whose lifetime of honesty and insurance adjusting has culminated in a dream assignment, a trip to the ASMI insurance convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Lippe’s task while in Cedar Rapids is to take home the coveted “2 Diamond” insurance award which goes to the agency that most closely sells insurance the way God would.

Lippe quickly learns during his first trip to the convention that Cedar Rapids is full of distractions that will not allow him to concentrate solely on the 2 Diamond award. The convention is an eye opening experience, as the very green Lippe encounters many insurance agents who view Cedar Rapids as a sort of Hedonism of the Midwest. One such agent, Dean Ziegler (John C. Reilly), Lippe has been expressly instructed to avoid. Of course, Lippe winds up sharing a room with Ziegler and discovers that avoiding him is impossible. Reilly’s Ziegler is a combination of every alcoholic blowhard you’ve ever encountered. Loud, obnoxious and frequently hilarious.

Spellbound by Ziegler, a morally ambiguous love interest named Joan Ostrowski-Fox (Anne Heche), and the lure of alcohol, drugs and sex that are readily available at the convention hotel, the impressionable Lippe loses sight of his task and allows himself to be consumed by Cedar Rapids the way a 21-year-old might react to seeing Vegas for the first time. Between Ziegler pressuring the group to let loose and their other roommate Ronald (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) serving as a voice of reason, Lippe humorously bounces back and forth between uncharacteristic debauchery and adhering to his nerdy, insurance-centric persona.

An 80 minute conversation between Ed Helms and John C. Reilly would likely be entertaining, so it’s no surprise that pairing them up, letting them develop characters at opposite ends of the moral spectrum and placing them in an absurd scenario resulted in funny scene after funny scene. The actual plot of the movie at times becomes an afterthought, as the directionless conversations between the four main characters take over. Fortunately, this was not problematic. It was more so the ridiculous dialogue between the characters than their circumstances that had The Neon opening night crowd guffawing throughout.

As endearing and captivating as Ed Helms was, it was really John C. Reilly who the audience wanted to see. He turned in the best comedic performance I’ve seen in some time, delivering all the humor you’d expect out of a drunken, divorced, loudmouthed insurance salesman.

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Film Review – Barney’s Version (A-)

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Barney’s Version
@ The Neon
March 3, 2011
Grade: A-

Of course Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man) plays Barney Panofsky, the hero of Barney’s Version. If you ever find yourself in need of an actor to dominate a role that calls for an insecure, self destructive, witty, snarky, alcoholic, Giamatti should be at the top of your list.

Barney's First Marriage

At first, it seems as though Barney is cursed. The movie begins with an older Barney. Seemingly innocent, lonely and depressed. Shortly thereafter, the audience is surprisingly and refreshingly shown a young, vibrant Barney about to begin his first of three failed marriages. When this first marriage ends tragically, I thought, “Is this just going to be a series of unfortunate events that results in a beaten down man?” As the story progresses, however, it becomes apparent that Barney is a ticking time bomb, too paranoid or drunk to realize that he doesn’t have it half bad. Because his insecurities and paranoia will not allow him to accept his good fortune, Barney inevitably self destructs.

The source of Barney’s neuroses probably stem from the fact that the women and friends with which he surrounds himself are infinitely more beautiful and well-liked than he. A fact that loudly pronounces itself to Barney when his third wife, Miriam (Rosamund Pike), who is the only of his three wives he actually loves, announces that she needs a week to herself. What should have been a harmless week apart for a long-married couple with two grown children plagues Barney. While Miriam is away, Barney’s insecurities come bubbling up as his mind attacks itself with thoughts of losing the best part of his life. In response to imagined dangers, Barney launches a very real preemptive strike that destroys his final marriage.

Barney’s Version is actually quite lighthearted and humorous despite the personal hells that the audience experiences alongside Barney. Much of the humor is provided by Barney’s father, played by Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman is as likable as always and serves as an example to Barney of what life can be like if you allow yourself to enjoy it. The two are more friends than father-son and Barney  seems to be at his happiest when in the company of his dad.

The final tragedy Barney endures, the progression of Alzheimer’s that robs him of his charm and wit, at first seemed like a throw-in to me. Like an unnecessary evil that the audience could have done without. But, as some time has passed since I saw Barney’s Version, I find myself rethinking that stance. I’m wondering now if that terrible disease finally gave Barney’s brain a rest. A chance to let the self-loathing evaporate and to allow Barney to simply observe, rather than destroy.

Whether the Alzheimer’s was relevant or not, Barney’s Version is tremendously entertaining thanks in large part to Giamatti who convincingly conveys decades of a complicated man’s life.

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Film Review – True Grit (B)

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True Grit – Christmas, 2010
Rave Motion Pictures
(Huber Heights)
Grade: B

I love Coen brothers movies. Everything they do is entertaining. So, when I see one of their movies and don’t instantly recognize it as terrific, I tend to be disappointed. That’s not to say that their True Grit remake wasn’t good. It was. It’s just that it wasn’t the funniest movie I’ve ever seen, as was The Big Lebowski, wasn’t Fargo perfect, and didn’t leave me fearing an indifferent Universe, Like The Man Who Wasn’t There did.

Rooster & Mattie

While I did enjoy True Grit, that feeling of, “I’m all in. I need to find out what happens to the hero,” that typically accompanies a Coen brothers movie was absent. I just wasn’t fully invested in the story. While the circumstances of the characters may have been somewhat uncompelling, the characters themselves were great. Jeff Bridges as tough, drunk U.S. Marshal and remorseless killer, Rooster Cogburn, is fun to root for. Matt Damon unsurprisingly plays likably arrogant well as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, and the two butt heads throughout their time together as legal authorities with opposing outlooks on the law likely would. Relative unknown Hailee Steinfeld does well to be noticeable on screen alongside movie stars as Mattie Ross, a teenage girl who elicits the help of Rooster to capture her father’s murderer, Tom Chaney. True grit is carried by the performances of these three and the combative, comedic interactions between them. Those looking for a dark, suspenseful take on a timid classic will be surprised to find that True Grit is more of a comedy than anything else.

Smallish yet quality roles by Josh Brolin (Milk, The Goonies), playing Chaney and Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan, 61*) as Lucky Ned Pepper, the leader of a group of outlaws with which Chaney has found refuge,  give the story energy. Ned Pepper’s rough appearance and demeanor has no doubt convinced Dayton audiences that he’d have no problem fitting in at a local establishment of the same name. Seeing these famous faces get relatively little screen time served as a reminder of the pull of the Coen brothers. I watched the 1969 original for the first time after I saw the remake, and was pleased to see that the original was similarly cast, with Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper making big impacts despite brief appearances.

Surely, had this movie been made by unknown filmmakers and had I left my unfairly high expectations of the Coen brothers at the door, I’d be speaking about True Grit in more glowing terms. As it stands, I can say that True Grit at least kept my attention and that I’ll carry the same unfairly high expectations with me into the next Coen brothers movie I see.

Film Review – The Fighter

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Although I’m a knowledgeable sports fan, I entered the Dayton Mall theatre knowing little to nothing about the life of working class boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his half brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). I assumed, though, that as a boxing movie, “The Fighter” was most likely about a lovable, down and out boxer who improbably seized a fluke opportunity to realize his dream of becoming world champ. The fact that this assumption turned out to be accurate did not make “The Fighter” any less enjoyable.

I’d imagine that this was a passable plot line in the eyes of Paramount execs despite the predictability and commonality of it (“Rocky,” “Cinderella Man,” “Million Dollar Baby”) because, you know, it actually happened and it’s a good story. What stands out about “The Fighter” in comparison to other boxing movies are the authenticity of the fight scenes and Micky’s comically destructive family, who, despite their good intentions, almost seem to be actively trying to keep him from any sort of success. At the forefront is Dicky, a former promising boxer turned crack addict who unsurprisingly can’t figure out how to balance crack addiction and helping Micky realize his own unfulfilled dreams. Christian Bale absolutely kills it as Dicky Eklund; shedding his celebrity in a scene-stealing supportive role.

Had I not seen Wahlberg explain the process of shooting the fight scenes while being interviewed on Conan, “We beat the crap out of each other,” I wouldn’t have known how they captured such realistic landed punches. I watched clips of a number of Micky Ward’s actual fights and was not surprised to see that the fight scenes from “The Fighter” looked like shot for shot remakes of the real thing. Wahlberg completely avoids the clumsy actor portraying a fluid athlete problem that is often a distraction in sports movies. DiCaprio in “Basketball Diaries” and Tom Berenger in “Major League” come to mind.

In most boxing movies I’ve seen, I find myself impatiently waiting for the next fight scene. In “The Fighter” the fight scenes are exciting, impeccably done and there are actually relatively few of them, but the excitement and anticipation of the fights does not overshadow the surrounding story. The absurdity of Micky’s family – from Dicky’s antics, to their overprotective, maniacally controlling mother (Melissa Leo),

to his seven sisters blindly serving the will of their mom – speak to the unlikeliness of Micky’s success in the ring and encourage the audience to be personally invested in the outcome of the fights.

As much as I enjoyed “The Fighter,” I was disappointed by the ending. The obligatory biographical movie ending – white text on black background explaining Micky’s life after movie – was fine with me, but seeing merely in text that he went on to have his most memorable, brutal fights against all time great Arturo Gatti left me thinking, “Really? What the hell? Show me THAT!” Fortunately, the fight scenes and the acting performances, especially Bale’s, more than make up for the feelings of unfulfillment the ending leaves with the audience and make “The Fighter” well worth a watch.

Film Review – The King’s Speech

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"The King's Speech" - Grade: A

Colin Firth didn’t receive the Academy Award for his superb portrayal of a suicidal gay professor in Tom Ford’s visually sublime character study “A Single Man,” but he stands a great chance to finally capture the gold for his equally substantive work as Britain’s stammering King George VI in the striking, crowd-pleasing dramatic comedy “The King’s Speech.”

With calculated subtlety and endearing sensibility, Firth dynamically gives his all as the frustrated George, nicknamed Bertie in close circles, who reluctantly became monarch after his lovestruck older brother King Edward VIII (a dashing, magnetic Guy Pearce) abdicated the throne in 1936. In order to properly lead the nation and overcome his debilitating stutter, a hindrance since he was 4 years old, Bertie, still coping with familial baggage from his childhood, turns to amiable yet stern Australian speech therapist and thespian Lionel Logue (a truly splendid Geoffrey Rush in one of his most engaging and expressive performances). Lionel’s unconventional teaching methods and strict demands (the private sessions particularly occur at his quaint office rather than Buckingham Palace) provides an entertaining tug-of-war with Bertie resulting in an unexpected friendship that evolves to nearly tear-jerking proportions at the film’s emotional climax: the titular address Bertie delivers to his countrymen as World War II looms.

Firth and Rush are simply outstanding, delivering multifaceted portrayals that take David Seidler’s formulaic yet engrossing screenplay to deep realms of poignancy. Whenever they share the screen and their infectious chemistry leaps forth, electricity is in the air. Guided with sophistication and warmth by director Tom Hooper (who helmed HBO’s Emmy-winning miniseries “John Adams”), Firth’s sharp complexity and believably fearful reticence effortlessly balances Rush’s calm authority and genuine sincerity, an appealing attribute wonderfully revealed in scenes featuring the Logue household.

“The King’s Speech” succeeds as a feel-good showcase of triumph in the face of adversity.

In addition to Pearce, terrific supporting turns are provided by an exceptionally understated Helena Bonham Carter as Bertie’s loving, supportive wife Elizabeth, who brought Bertie and Lionel together, Michael Gambon as Bertie’s imposing father King George V, Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill, Jennifer Ehle as Lionel’s dutiful wife Myrtle, Claire Boom as Queen Mary, the adorable Freya Wilson as Princess Elizabeth, and Derek Jacobi (used far better here than in Clint Eastwood’s recent flop “Hereafter”) as the stringent Archbishop of Canterbury.

A definite contender for a slew of Oscar nominations next month including Best Picture and beautifully accented by composer Alexandre Desplat’s lilting score, “The King’s Speech” succeeds as a feel-good showcase of triumph in the face of adversity. It is simply one of the best films of 2010.

“The King’s Speech” begins its Dayton engagement Saturday, December 25 at the Neon Movies, Rave Cinema at The Greene, and Regal Cinema.  Preview and trailer can be seen here.

Film Review – Black Swan

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Natalie Portman delivers the performance of her career thus far in “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky’s remarkably alluring and disturbing psychological thriller set within the beautiful, competitive and treacherous world of dance.

Portman, a captivating, graceful sight in the opening minutes alone, expertly portrays Nina Sayers, a dedicated, motivated and introverted New York ballerina cast in the signature roles of a reconceived presentation of “Swan Lake” (presumably by the New York City Ballet.) At first, the ballet company’s demanding, sexually candid artistic director Thomas Leroy (a brooding and suave Vincent Casell) feels Nina is only suited to play the innocent White Swan, but offers her the role of the seductive Black Swan after she discards her demure persona and bites him during a passionate kiss. Nina’s ascension, greeted with contempt by her fellow dancers, affords Thomas the opportunity to shove older ballerina Beth Macintyre (a terrifically fierce Winona Ryder) into early retirement, a decision that predictably infuriates Beth and traumatizes Nina in turn.

“Her scenes with the magnetic Kunis titillate with sexual chemistry and tension.”

Expectedly, Nina endures many physical and emotional hardships in her quest for perfection, particularly from Thomas’ rigorous tutelage and the uneasy companionship of her doting yet obsessive ex-dancer mother Erica (a marvelously stern Barbara Hershey in what could be perceived as a comeback), but her world is completely turned upside down by the arrival of new company member Lily (Mila Kunis in her best role to date), a talented dancer from San Francisco with mischievous aims. Nina is wary of her laidback yet ambitious rival, but is sucked into her intimidating vortex nonetheless with dangerous, confusing repercussions. At one point, it’s hard to believe Nina would be so willing to agree to a night on the town with Lily mere days before a gala performance, but it fuels Nina’s inability to see matters as they are. Lily’s mind games, professional and sexual, continuously warp Nina’s subconscious, propelling her troublesome, deep-seated paranoia to unsettling degrees.

Portman looks as stunning as ever in rehearsal and performance, a reflection of the training that went into her preparation. The athleticism, the commitment, the bewildered joy of capturing a coveted role, and the torture of attempting greatness is solidly conveyed in her luminous portrayal that manages to be simultaneously lovely and terrifying at times. Her scenes with the magnetic Kunis titillate with sexual chemistry and tension. Opposite Hershey she epitomizes the frustration of young women longing to embrace womanhood even though they remain little girls in the eyes of their mothers.

One wouldn’t expect Aronofsky, the dark auteur behind such films as “Requiem for a Dream” and “The Wrestler,” to embrace theelegant magnificence of ballet, but this slight departure proves to be a fascinating change of pace. In addition to authentically capturing the cold grittiness of the Big Apple, Aronofsky’s character-focused imprint is displayed in the aggressive rehearsal scenes, the fluidity of the performance sequences, the gripping moments of mental horror, his penchant for intimate close-ups and handheld camerawork, and a striking attention to detail encompassing shoe repair, crackling bones, physical therapy, choreographer input and costume fittings. Matthew Libatique’s splendid cinematography also secures a distinct sense of atmosphere from the halls of Lincoln Center to Nina and Erica’s confined Upper West Side apartment.

With Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous strains as an evocative underscore, “Black Swan” takes center stage as a compelling if overly intensified depiction of artistry, madness and mystery wonderfully bolstered by Portman’s breathtaking, Oscar worthy performance.

Grade: A

Rating: R

Length: 1 hour and 48 minutes

“Black Swan” will begin its Dayton engagement at the Neon Movies beginning Friday, December 17.

Film Review – 127 Hours

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127 Hours

I haven’t been forced to look away while watching a movie since the frat boys eating dog semen-filled donuts scene from “Van Wilder” nearly made me vomit in 2002. Like I’m sure most members of the modest afternoon Neon Movies crowd seeing “127 Hours” on the Friday after Thanksgiving, I was familiar with the Aron Ralston story and expected that the inevitable self-amputation scene might force my eyes away from the screen for the first time in eight years of steady movie going.

I was also concerned that a movie about a hiker/rock climber getting stuck in a canyon for five days, only to free himself by hacking off his own right arm, might be mostly dull, then needlessly gruesome. I’d imagine director Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “Sunshine”) might have shared those concerns. It turned out that James Franco’s (“Milk,” “General Hospital”) portrayal of Ralston’s five days in the canyon were actually quite entertaining and endearing because Franco does a terrific job conveying Ralston’s humanity, humor, and most importantly, his will to live.

Ultimate Solitude

Ralston is a self-sufficient nature lover and adventurer who was as much in search of solitude as natural beauty. When, while hiking in Utah, Ralston falls down a narrow canyon and gets his right arm pinned between a boulder and the canyon wall, he is forced into solitude for five days, all the while contemplating how his independent, possibly selfish personality may have as much to do with his agonizing predicament as does the rock that keeps him from leaving the canyon.

Because the Ralston story received such attention, the audience knows that he must amputate his right arm in order to free himself and avoid dying in the canyon. Of course, cutting off his own arm was not Ralston’s first attempt at escape and because Franco’s Ralston is so easy to root for, I found myself foolishly hoping that he’d be able to chip away enough of the boulder with his pocketknife to escape, or that the pulley system he fashioned would do the trick, or that the flash flood that loosened the boulder was reality and not just a hallucination brought on by exhaustion and despair.

By the time Ralston is forced to accept the fact that he must cut off his own arm or die, I knew that my eyes would be glued to the screen during the amputation. At that point, the audience is so invested in Ralston’s survival, I’m sure I was not alone in thinking that it’d be insulting to Franco’s performance and Aron Ralston himself to look away. And, while the amputation scene is graphic and difficult to watch, I found it more an emotional display of Ralston’s intense need to survive, rather than shock and awe gore.

The Real Aron Ralston

Like many of the best movies made, “127 Hours” is only showing in Dayton at The Neon. If you’re considering seeing “127 Hours” but are concerned about being able to make it through the amputation scene without fainting, just know that it’s more beautiful than grotesque and that The Neon, as always, has alcoholic beverages available.