The Wrestler

This film finally made it's way to my local cineplex after months of reading how good it is and how Mickey Rourke is beyond amazing in this film. Now, being the cynic that I am with movies, you can see why I didn't want to believe any of it. I've been burned too many times, I fear I may never love again. But then I saw the trailer:



After watching it a few times, I started to feel like everything I was reading was true. And having seen it this past weekend, believe your favorite film critic when I tell you that everything I or you have read is true. Believe the hype, this is an amazing film.

Let's get the obvious out of the way: Mickey Rourke's performance is what makes this film what it is. You can see in every line on his face, in every expression, in every word he utters that he poured a lifetime of guilt, anguish and hurt into his portrayal of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. He's pissed away everything in his life that should mean something to him all for his love of the glory of wrestling. As I was watching this movie unfold, I wanted to dislike Randy because he brought a lot of his hardships on himself. Rourke, however, plays him with such charm and confidence I found myself rooting for him to snap out of his train wreck of a life.

The other aspect of this film that impressed me so much was the direction of Darren Aronofsky. Mr. Aronofsky showed a lot of promise with Pi and Requiem for a Dream, although they felt a little too bogged down with art-school gimmickry. This time, Aronofsky shunned these tricks and filmed The Wrestler with an authentic documentary-type shakiness to the camera-work. A handful of the scenes feel like they were slightly improvised as well which certainly adds to the realness of the story. His interactions with his daughter, played superbly by Evan Rachel Wood, especially feel this way. That scene in the trailer where he says he doesn't want her to hate him and their final scene together are especially heartbreaking to watch. Marissa Tomei also does an excellent job as Randy's love interest/favorite stripper, Cassidy. This was a brave role for Tomei to take on and I was happy to see she got nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category.

However, I'm also disappointed that this film wasn't nominated for Best Picture or Best Director. Here are a couple suggestions from your beloved Captain: replace Slumdog Millionaire with the The Wrestler in the Best Picture category. Yes, Slumdog was a great film, but it wasn't better than The Wrestler, not by a long shot. My second suggestion, get rid of Ron Howard in the Best Director category and put Aronofsky in there. I've got news for you people, there's nothing special about Ron Howard's directorial style, it's thoroughly generic and largely lifeless. I haven't seen Frost/Nixon, but I've seen enough of Howard's movies to know that this one will feel the same way.

If Rourke doesn't win the Oscar for this one, it will be a damn shame. He clearly poured every ounce of his being into this film and deserves to be recognized. Do yourself a favor and see this movie and watch one of the best screen performances you will ever see.

Captain Cinema Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Netflix DVD Round-Up: The Foot Fist Way, Revolver, Southland Tales

So, it should come as no surprise that your beloved Captain Cinema has a Netflix account. It allows me to catch up on all the films I didn't deem worthy of viewing in a theater. And since this time of year tends to be kind of slow for theater-worthy new releases, I figured hey, why not spew my opinion about DVDs I get in the mail.

The Foot Fist Way

When I saw previews for this one in the spring of last year, I couldn't wait for it to come out. I could try and explain why, but the red-band trailer (courtesy of YouTube) will do a much better job:



Hilarious, right? Unfortunately, the movie didn't quite live up to my expectations. I think it was another case of said expectations being too high, still, there were a bunch of scenes where I laughed out loud. But that's the thing: it just felt like a bunch of funny scenes barely strung together by a very thin plot. Having said that, Danny McBride as Tae-Kwon-Do instructor Fred Simmons was laugh-out-loud awesome; he's got a long career in comedy ahead of him, no question. I've resolved that I'm going to buy the DVD anyway with the thought that repeated viewings will make it funnier over time. I mean, why not? It worked with Philadelphia.
Captain Cinema Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Revolver

Is there a more predictable filmmaker than Guy Ritchie? In terms of style and content, I think not. This one has it all: Jason Statham? Check. Gangsters and/or loan sharks? Check. Stylized violence? Check. Dialogue so impressed with itself the actors almost pause and break the fourth wall as if to give you time to soak in the so-called "hipness" of it all? A big fat check on that one. It's not that I don't enjoy Guy Ritchie films, I do, this one just happened to be extremely boring and seemingly went no where the entire movie. Honestly, if you've seen Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch, then you've seen Revolver, only you've seen much better versions of Revolver. Guy Ritchie is pretty much the AC/DC or The Ramones of filmmaking: the whole time you're watching a flick of his, you're thinking to yourself, "I know I haven't seen this before, but it feels like I have." Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but this time, Revolver is a swing and a miss. I'm hoping that RocknRolla will be better than this one (it's already on my queue), but at the same time, I know I've essentially already seen it. What? Cockney accents make me laugh.
Captain Cinema Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

Southland Tales

Southland Tales is a film that was written and directed by Richard Kelly. Now, if you're a cool as I am, you'll recognize that name as being the one that also wrote and directed Donnie Darko, which is a great film. It's not the most amazing film ever, as many pot-addled hippies and film schools rejects will have you believe, but it's still very well done. So how did Kelly do with his sophomore effort? Two words: Pure crap.

I mean, I get what Kelly was trying to say with this picture, but it was just a giant, meandering, mish-mashed, poorly thought out message movie that makes you shake your head with disgust after just a half-hour into the film. I think my biggest problem with Southland Tales is the choice of actors: it was basically just stunt casting. Almost every scene, I found myself saying, "oh hey, it's that guy," or "oh yeah, I recognize that woman." And I give them credit, they did the best they could with what they were given, but there's only so much they could do. Which leads me to think that every actor who read the script said to themselves, "I have no friggin' idea what the hell this is about, but it was written by the guy who did Donnie Darko, so it must be good!" See people, this is exactly why you don't pay attention when actors and actresses tell you who to vote for.

Overall, the story had a lot of potential, but it was done very poorly and after this one movie, I'm ready to put Richard Kelly in the same category as M. Night Shyamalan: a writer/director who once showed great promise but now just makes crap.
Captain Cinema Rating: 1 out of 5 stars.

Doubt

Whenever a film tackles a sensitive or inflammatory subject, one can only hope it’s done with objectivity and it let’s the audience decide for themselves.  I remember working at the best video rental establishment ever, Cinema-Scope, and many customers would complain that a movie they had rented didn’t have a clear answer at the end of the film.  To me, those were always the best films, the ones that left you guessing.   Those are the films you’re talking about for days after you’ve left the theater, not just a few minutes after.  As I left the theater from having seen Doubt, I knew that it was one those films.

In Doubt, it’s 1964 and Father Flynn (a phenomenal Philip Seymour Hoffman) has become the new priest at church/catholic school in the Bronx.  Unfortunately, his want to change some of the long held customs at the church does not sit well with Sister Aloysius (a never better Meryl Streep) and she begins a crusade of sorts to try to defame and remove Father Flynn.

There are two big reasons this film is as good as it is: Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep.  These are actors that don’t just act in movies, they inhabit roles and, by all appearances, effortlessly fit in to every character’s shoes.  Such is the case in Doubt.  There’s a scene in this movie where we see Father Flynn in gym class teaching some boys how to play basketball and while it may come off as just a random scene of life at a catholic school, it’s a brilliant example of Hoffman’s ability to become a character.  Streep’s Sister Aloysius is the kind of character you immediately hate within a few minutes of her appearing on screen.  She has an absolute disdain for anyone who disagrees with her views and will not tolerate even the slightest out of line behavior.  But Streep plays her with such conviction, it’s hard to not be impressed with the performance.  Anyone who has seen this film will agree that the highlight, without question, is the final confrontation between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius.  Hoffman and Streep are without question two of the best actors working today whose individual legacies will be looked upon with admiration by other actors for generations to come.  Watching them go one on one was nothing short of mesmerizing.  I could tell that they both knew that this scene was the cornerstone of the film and they treated it as such.  It was reminiscent of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in Heat: two great actors playing off one another and enjoying every minute of it.  The entire film is building towards this moment and it’s a huge payoff.  My only complaint about this film, and it’s a minor one at that, is that pretty much every scene felt like it was a stage play.  This makes sense considering it was directed and written by John Patrick Shanley who also wrote the play on which this film is based.  Again, it’s a minor complaint, but at times it felt distracting and it took me out of the movie a little bit.  Don’t let that stop you from going to see this movie because in addition to watching the excellent performances, it asks some tough questions from the audience that have no easy answers.  In the end, a good movie that features a tough or taboo topic merely holds up a mirror to the issue and asks the audience to decide for themselves.  Doubt definitely achieves this.

Captain Cinema Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

On a side note, I saw this film and Slumdog Millionaire at the Red River Theatres in Concord, NH.  It was my first trip there and it will not be my last.  It’s a fantastic facility that shows indie and art-house movies, one of the few theaters that do this in NH.  They have four auditoriums, stadium seating, and they serve beer!  High five!  Here’s a link to their website:Red River Theatres

Slumdog Millionaire

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that when I first heard the premise of this movie, I thought, “I think I’ll be skipping that one.”  The story of a teenage Indian boy who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” in order to try and find the woman he loves?  Eh, not so much, thanks.  But as the reviews started to surface, I couldn’t help but notice that it was becoming a sleeper hit due to the strong word of mouth.  And as it turns out, Slumdog Millionaire is one of the best films I’ve seen all year.

To expound further on the plot, Jamal Malik (played with enthusiasm by the still very green Dev Patel) gets a once in a lifetime to chance to be on a game show that, seemingly, is watched by pretty much every person in India.  After one episode in which he gets within one question of winning 20 million rupees, he’s taken into police custody after he’s thought to be cheating.  During the inquisition, he unravels the story of his life in order to prove that he didn’t cheat and he genuinely knew the answers.  To be honest, I just typed that out and after reading it a few times, that still sounds boring to me but trust me when I tell you that for the full 120 minutes, I was fully engrossed in the story and the intricacy with which it unraveled.

In my last review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I mentioned that the director, David Fincher, is synonymous with excellent filmmaking and the same can now be said of the director of Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle.  Ever since his breakout film Trainspotting, he’s only done a handful of movies but they’ve all been diverse and interesting choices.  Trainspotting is about drug addiction, 28 Days Later is about zombies, and Sunshine is a sci-fi flick, to name the highlights.  Though each of these films are very diverse in theme, he handles each one like a seasoned director but also manages to bring a fresh and exciting feel to each project.  And I think the same can be said of this film because when it’s all said and done, it’s really just a love story.  Another reason I loved this movie so much is it proves you don’t need much to make a good movie.  For example, my first review on this blog was for a film entitled The Day the Earth Stood Still, which was a giant steaming pile and it cost $80 million to make and had actors everyone has heard of.  Slumdog Millionaire only cost $15 million, had no marquee names and when you watch it, you aren’t thinking to yourself, “I wonder if it would be worth it to gouge my eyes instead of waiting another hour and a half for this movie to be over” or “I wonder if the theater can give me back my time in addition to my money.”  This movie proves that at the center of every good movie is a compelling plot and character development; everything else should only be used to serve those two things.

Captain Cinema Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

For me, this movie had everything going for it when I first read about it.  David Fincher directed it (he also directed Fight Club, Seven, and The Game to name my favorites by him.)  It starred Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, who are two of the best actors working today and who always seem to choose daring and intriguing roles.  But, being slightly cynical and constantly disappointed on many trips to the local cineplex, I’ve learned not to get my hopes up.  Still, each trailer and commercial that I saw made me want to see this movie more and more.  Well, dear readers, I’m happy to report that my fears were alleviated and I can easily say that this was one of the best films of the year.

The film follows Benjamin (Pitt) as he lives his life while aging in reverse.  In a strange way, this film reminded me of Forrest Gump, except without all the cheekiness and winking at the audience which frankly made this film more enjoyable.  It’s not that I don’t like Forrest Gump, it’s a great movie, but after repeated viewings, it starts getting a little hammy.  But I digress; as Benjamin lives his life, he fights in the second world war, witnesses the first rocket blasting into space, and watches the Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan, amongst other things.  At least he didn’t inadvertently show Henry Ford how to build the Model T because I would’ve checked out at that point or at the very least given that scene a dismissive wanking motion.

This is a long movie, coming in at just under three hours, but it didn’t bother me in the slightest as I was watching it.  I attribute most of that to the director, David Fincher.  The man just knows how to craft a movie.  Each scene was visually arresting and it felt like the cinematography was another star in the film.  This really wasn’t a surprise either, as he’s been making stunningly gorgeous movies for several years now.  His work in Seven inspired many carbon copy thrillers that really had no chance of being anywhere near as good as the source material.  Go back and watch it, it stands the test of time and then some.  Fincher’s name is synonymous excellent filmmaking, it’s as simple as that.  The other factor I attribute to this film working as well as it did is Brad Pitt.  I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine and I said that when Brad Pitt first started gaining stardom after Interview with the Vampire, I wanted to dislike him because everyone was fawning over him as the next big movie star.  But then he went and starred in Seven, Twelve Monkeys, Sleepers, Fight Club, and Snatch to name a few.  By that point, it was clear the man knew how to pick a script and each performance was better than the last.  This movie is no exception and he delivers a stellar performance with effortless grace.  To state the obvious, the film would not have worked if you didn’t believe he was Benjamin Button in every scene.  Of course, he had some help with that in the form of phenomenal visual F/X.  There wasn’t a single moment in the film that I thought, “oh come on, you can totally tell they used computers to make him look like that!”  And on a personal note, I fell in love with Cate Blanchett in this movie.  She was heart-breakingly beautiful as Daisy, Benjamin’s love interest.

So in case you couldn’t tell by my effusive remarks above, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and it hit me in the heart.  I definitely plan on adding this to my DVD collection.

Captain Cinema Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit that I had been looking forward to this movie.  I’m kind of a sucker for sci-fi/end of the world movies and I still have a crush on Jennifer Connelly dating all the way back to 1991 when she played Jenny Blake in The Rocketeer.  When I first saw the trailer, The Day the Earth Stood Still looked like it had a lot of potential: slick F/X, a good enough cast, and it’s a remake of one of the defining films of the sci-fi genre.  But, like so many times before, Hollywood figures out a way to get me in the theater only to disappoint me.  Damn you, Hollywood, why do you treat me this way?!

I’ll start with the little things that made my brain hurt from watching this movie.  First up, Keanu Reeves.  He was awesome as Neo in the Matrix movies (even though you can pretty much skip Reloaded and Revolutions), but other than that, his acting style is to say “whoa” in nearly every movie and look good doing it.  And yet I was able to appreciate that he was the perfect choice for this role.  An alien who takes on a human form in an awkward manner and shows little to no emotion or any type of inflection in his voice?  Really, Keanu Reeves is your only choice there.  The character development in this flick was pretty much non-existent.  Every character, Reeves and Connelly included, were just there to move the paper-thin plot along.  They tried to give Connelly’s character some depth by having her be constantly concerned about her stepson, but it felt so trite I just didn’t care what happened to the little kid.  I know that might sound harsh, but seriously, he got on my one big nerve pretty much every scene he was in.  As for the slick special F/X?  That only applied to the sphere that landed in Central Park.  Everything else looked way too fake, especially Gort, the giant silver guardian of the sphere.  A note to filmmakers: if your going to give the middle finger to things like plot and character development, at least make the special F/X look incredible.  I’ll still think your movie sucks, but I’ll tell people that the special F/X were pretty cool.  That's the best consolation I can give you.

But the biggest reason I disliked this movie, hands down, was the preachy nature of the message of the story.  Yes, it’s true, a movie this crappy had the nerve to try and tell the masses how to conduct themselves.  If you have any interest in seeing this (and really, why would you?), then stop reading here.  The reason Earth has been visited in this film is because we’re about to have our planet taken away from us because we haven’t taken very good care of it.  Apparently there are only a few planets in the universe capable of sustaining complex life according to Klaatu (Keanu Reeves), and therefore we need to be exterminated in order to save the planet.  Well, hey, all thanks to you, makers of The Day the Earth Stood Still.  I had no idea this planet was in peril, but now I do thanks to a shitty, sub-par, barely worth my time or money re-make that will be forgotten quicker than the time it spent in theaters.  They went so far with it, they had Jennifer Connelly’s character driving a hybrid vehicle throughout the whole thing and they made no effort to hide.  In fact, they shove it in your face for pretty much the entire length of the film.  When you consider that the original was sort of a response to the Cold War, it's understandable that they chose something timely and topical to focus on once again.  Understandable, but still unacceptable.  I care about the environment just as much as the next guy, but I’m sure not going to learn that lesson from a crap-tastic remake that nearly put me to sleep in the theater.

Captain Cinema Rating: 1 out of 5 stars.

Welcome to Captain Cinema!

Hello everyone and welcome to Captain Cinema!  In case you're wondering, that's a nick name I picked up a few years ago when I worked at a certain video rental establishment and although I'm sure it was meant with equal parts affection and sarcasm, I took as a compliment just the same.

Anyway, this is something I've been thinking about doing for some time now and since I found myself with a copious amount of free time this afternoon and many words of encouragement from others over the past weeks, I've decided now was the time.  This will solely be a movie review blog where I'll slather each post with my thoughts and opinions about, you guessed it, movies that I've seen recently.  Just a heads up, expect lots of sarcasm and a baseless sense of elitism.

So without further ado, my first review for this, the Captain Cinema blog...