Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Both Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are spot on as bipolar, self destructive and tortured souls in David O. Russell’s latest effort. This is part of the problem with Silver Linings Playbook, based on the 2008 Mathew Quick novel by the same name. I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent too much time with people resembling these two (about a half a dozen exgirlfriends alone) and these days I actively avoid them.

There is plenty to like about this one as is the case with every Russell film ever made. I can honestly recomend all of them and would include Flirting with Disaster and The Fighter as Must Watch Movies. Making a movie with two fairly unlikable and mentally ill leads is both daring and far from the Hollywood formula that bores us all too often. But at the same time, spending two hours with these two unbalanced creatures becomes grating early on. For every great scene that sucks you in, there is a scene of harsh and at times very dark annoyance that pulls you out. Many of these scenes could have been portrayed as high and effective drama if a different score were employed. With just a few edits and an added for boding soundtrack and Playbook is no longer a comedy, but a dark drama, much like Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth.

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Life Of Pi (2012)

Had to see this a second time to be sure that I wasn’t overreacting. Results are in. I love Life of Pi. Not since the Dark Knight have I been so forgiving of questionable things in a movie as a result of what there was to like/love. I see a lot of movies, but nothing quite like this as for what goes on in that little boat.

Director Ang Lee is a guy who never makes the same movie twice. Some are great such as The Ice Storm and Ride With The Devil, others not so much. He was the 4th name attached to direct Life of Pi (a 2001 novel by Yan Martel) over the last decade and obviously the only one who had the guts and skill to pull it off. They say the three most difficult things to work with in making a movie are animals, child actors and shooting on water. Those three elements are what mesh together so well to make what is my favorite movie of 2012 thus far. Sure Lee cheated by using lots and lots of CGI (some of it questionable, but forgivable) and shot much of it on a soundstage and in a man made ocean. He didn’t cheat however when it came to working with children though. In fact he cast an inexperienced kid in Suraj Sharma who makes his feature debut here. He was astonishing and the entire movie could have been written off as a joke had he not been so strong.

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Lincoln (2012)

Lincoln might just be the best movie about Lincoln I’ve seen all year. After all, we musn’t forget that Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was also released this year. I can’t be sure which I disliked more. While both were as dull as can be, at least this Lincoln had some semblance of truth, no matter how meladramatic it was at times.

Yes, Daniel Day Lewis embodied what we know as the 16th President, just as he always does with his subjects. Problem is Abe is not the leading man type. It’s been said in fact that if he were to run for office today he wouldn’t stand a chance with the advent of film, video and audio. The people would not like his looks or manner of speaking, no matter what it was that he was trying to say. He comes off as your vaguely likable uncle with a slight sense of humor and the perfectly placed stories and fables. DDL’s gangly limp around the White House as he walked in the President’s shoes made me wish I was instead watching the bowlegged strut of Bill The Butcher. I couldn’t help but think that just a few hundred miles to the east at this very same time in history, all the glorious characters and their shenanigans were taking place in Gangs of New York. How stuffy and stiff this side of history was in comparison.

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Flight (2012)

It will be up for best picture and Denzel will be up for best actor, but Flight didn’t get me to it’s intended destination.

The first 20 minutes are Zemeckis and Washington at their best. The story is moving along, the drinks are being drunk and the drugs are being snorted as the passengers buckle up. What comes next is unfortunately and unavoidably predictable as the trailer for Flight has been running everywhere for the past 3 months. “Well done” does not do the plane crash sequence justice. Not since United 93 have I been so moved by such an onscreen flight wreck.

What comes next though is 90 minutes of denial, dead spots and dark corners. The only source of levity is found in the drug dealing (John Goodman) who shows up at the hospital with his bag of goodies. Goodman was great and I haven’t seen him like this before, but the placement felt forced and just like that he’s gone. It was blatant comedy relief in an otherwise dismal story and as a result it felt more like force feeding and less like relief. He does have an incredible encore, but I felt his comedic absence and wanted more.

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A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The most fun you’ll ever have rooting for a rapist/murderer… hopefully.

MUST WATCH, 5 of 5

Anderson 11/2012

Rating Legend

Must Watch = 5 0f 5

Should Watch = 4 of 5

Could Watch = 3 of 5

Should Not Watch = 2 of 5

Do Not Watch = 1 of 5

Indie Game: The Movie (2012) Now on Instant

Feel the lack of human companionship, the knots in your belly and the utter spirit crushing fear of failure, success and deadlines all from the comfort of your couch. Indie Game is the documentary that explores all of these feelings associated with creating your own independent video game.

Follows 4 guys who have spent years of their lives doing just that. Found myself rooting for and against these obsessive and antisocial characters as they killed themselves coding and creating their digital worlds. Inspirational at times, frustrating at others, but always entertaining, you’ll love this one if you’ve ever had an original idea, but lacked the courage to do anything about it.

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Get The Gringo (2012) Now on Instant

The title of this one as well as a weary sense of Mel since The Beaver as well as some other off screen shenanigans had me pushing this one down my queue. Finally took the plunge and wow am I glad I did. The most fun I’ve had in front of a screen in weeks.

Written and produced by Gibson and directed by first time director and Apocalypto assistant director,  Get The Gringo is a Mel movie as in he was in charge. This is a great thing if you’re a fan of the aforementioned Apocalypto or Braveheart. It’s easy to forget that this guy is ultra talented in front of the camera as well as behind it.

Get the Gringo or “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” (the title used in the UK) is a different kind of prison movie. Actually, it’s a movie about a different kind of prison. El Pueblito prison in Tijuana Mexico was a real place before it was destroyed in a planned raid by more than 2,000 law enforcement agents in 2002. You’d be best served to read this article before watching Gringo. It will help with all the questions you’ll surely be asking yourself such as: Is This Real? Why are there kids in there? Why do the prisoners have guns? Why are there houses and stores in prison?  I usually like to go into a movie knowing very little, but knowing that I’m not watching invented Hollywood bullshit would’ve allowed me to enjoy this one even more.

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This Must Be The Place (2011)

Don’t let the curiosity factor interfere with your better judgement. This Must Be The Place is proof positive that an interesting casting choice coupled with beautiful  and inventive photography, not to mention an original story, is not always enough. At the risk of sounding spiritual and or clichéd, movies are magic. It takes a certain amount of luck and yes, magic for a film to really work. This one didn’t have much of either. Sean Penn is one of our greats, but I never forgot he was Sean Penn here. That is to say that he didn’t nail the Robert Smith-like, aged pop star, Cheyenne. He was Sean Penn doing a quirky character. Not a terrible character, just not a terribly interesting character. This proves to be a huge problem when it’s a restricted narrative and that character is onscreen 98% of the time. Think About Schmidt with big hair and lipstick.

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A Prophet (2009)

This French prison film came highly recommended and I went in with high expectations. Believed those expectations would pay off as I was hypnotized during the opening 20 minutes. Nothing in my life mattered as I experienced the lead’s horrific predicament. An hour later I cared a lot less and before the 155 minutes of this lengthy French prison epic had elapsed I was a bit confused, a bit disinterested and a bit disappointed.

This is not to say that A Prophet was a waste of my time, nor would it be a waste of yours. If you enjoy foreign movies and or gritty tails, A Prophet should at least be on your radar. It was definitely well crafted and the Prophet, played by then new comer, Tahar Rahim is excellent and most convincing.

The problems for me lay in the lack of heart. The film just seemed to lack emotion on some level and for my money I’d rather watch 1993’s Blood In Blood Out.

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