American Sniper (Clint Eastwood, 2014, USA, 132 min.)
Viewed Theatrically First Viewing
Clint Eastwood’s
factually shaky biopic about notoriously lethal Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley
Cooper) has proven divisive with audiences and cultural commentators, and
artistically it also seems divided against itself. The film subtly builds an intriguing thesis
about Kyle’s old-fashioned cowboy heroism being out of place and ultimately
useless in a messy, goalless war, but ultimately undercuts its potentially
subversive message by shying away from the real man’s less heroic attributes
(such as his xenophobia and fabulism) while offering a blanket depiction of
Iraqis as sadistic savages. The daring
film that might have been pokes through during a few powerful depictions of
PTSD and particularly during an intense sandstorm battle sequence that is surprisingly
lyrical for a director who often favors a simple “point and shoot”
aesthetic. But in the end most of the
moral conflict is obscured by a corny closing-credits hero’s funeral for the
film’s protagonist. C+
Bird People (Pascale Ferran, 2014, France, 127 min.)
Viewed on Netflix First Viewing
This playful two-part
tale of people trying desperately to break free of their limitations is a
lightweight wisp of a film that doesn’t ultimately add up to much of a
statement, but does take some intriguing stylistic risks along the way. The first half is a somber, life-sized drama
about an American computer engineer (Josh Charles) who abruptly decides,
mid-Paris business trip, to quit his job and leave his wife (Radha
Mitchell). Part two is a comedic,
fantastical story that follows a maid (Anais Demoustier) who suddenly and
without explanation turns into a bird.
Each half of the film meanders too much, but the separate strengths of
each are an impressive display of co-writer/director Pascale Ferran’s
versatility, as she displays equal skill at navigating the uncomfortably
realistic dialogue of the Skype-moderated dissolution of the engineer’s
marriage and at handling the impressively seamless animal effects. B-
Fifty Shades of Grey (Sam Taylor-Johnson, 2015, USA, 125 min.)
Viewed Theatrically First Viewing
Hollywood’s stubbornly
un-erotic adaptation of E.L James’ best-selling novel about a sadomasochistic
relationship devotes more of its runtime to interminable scenes about contract
signing than it does to sex. When the
heavy-breathing scenes do finally appear they are tame and bland, with Dakota
Johnson’s breasts supplying virtually all of the nudity even though the film is
ostensibly aimed at a female audience.
Johnson at least brings some charisma to her role, while it’s not hard
to imagine a dozen actors who might have been better at conveying the tortured
mystery of the sadist than Jamie Dornan.
C-
Focus (Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, 2015, USA, 105 min.)
Viewed Theatrically First Viewing
No one will mistake
this breezy romantic comedy about con artists falling in love for the second
coming of Trouble in Paradise (1932),
but the tight pacing and charismatic lead performances by Will Smith and Margot
Robbie do feel like a throwback to an era when big budget films didn’t feel the
need to be grim and endless. (This is
the first new film I’ve seen this year that runs under two hours, and one of
the first that doesn’t feel weighed down by mounds of extraneous
material). Writer-directors Glenn
Ficarra and John Requa keep the proceedings lively and witty, and the film is
consistently stylish, sexy and funny. B
Jupiter Ascending (Andy & Lana Wachowski, 2015, USA, 127
min.)
Viewed Theatrically First Viewing
Early looks at the
Wachowskis’ long-delayed sci-fi epic suggested an energetically weird
clusterfuck that could be this generation’s Zardoz
(1974). Sadly, the actual film is mostly
a ponderous bore, with only Eddie Redmayne and Douglas Booth (who play rival
heirs to the throne of Jupiter…or something) seeming to register the scenario’s
potential for outrageous camp. A basic
chosen one-versus-ultimate evil scenario is slathered with confusing plot
twists and an insanely byzantine mythology, but the gonzo details are mostly
drowned out by overly familiar blockbuster elements like wall-to-wall CGI and
an oppressively gloomy atmosphere. C-
Leviathan (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2014, Russia, 140 min.)
Viewed Theatrically First Viewing
This seemingly simple
tale about an ordinary man (Aleksey Serebryakov) trying to protect his seaside property
from demolition proposed by the town’s mayor (Roman Madyanov) plays out as
nothing less than a parable about the state of modern Russian life. Director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s trademark
deliberate pacing prevents the film from having the urgency it needs to
function as an effective state of the union address, and the mayor is too
cartoonish a creep to serve as a credible antagonist, even as a stand-in for
Vladimir Putin. Still, the film is often
engaging when it focuses on its frustrated protagonist and his strained
interactions with his family and friends, and Mikhail Krichman’s cinematography
is often breathtaking. B-
A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson, 1956, France, 100 min.)
Viewed on Hulu Plus Second Viewing
Robert Bresson’s
ultra-austere essentialist aesthetic seems like it should render his films dull
(and sometimes it does), but the absolute lack of filler in A Man Escaped is precisely what makes it
the most gripping and moving of all prison break films. The unwavering focus on a French Resistance
member’s (Francois Letterier) methodical attempt to escape from a Nazi jail
makes every small gesture and background noise feel tense. Bresson’s aesthetic is distilled to such a
pure form that A Man Escaped
transcends its “art film” status and becomes one of the great white-knuckle
suspense thrillers. A
A Most Violent Year (J.C. Chandor, 2014, USA, 125 min.)
Viewed Theatrically First Viewing
Abel Morales (Oscar
Isaac) clings to the notion that his up-and-coming heating oil company has
succeeded in spite of the ruthless criminal practices of his competitors, but
writer-director J.C. Chandor keeps piling on the evidence that his success has
less to do with his own hard work than with the unscrupulous accounting of his
wife (Jessica Chastain) and the shady dealings of his business partner (Albert
Brooks). Chandor’s film never turns into
a full-blown crime saga – though an exciting climactic car chase should be
enough to satisfy any action fan – but the tightly coiled story provides a
unique tension that is impressively sustained for over two hours. The 1981 New York setting is so convincing
that the film would actually feel like it were made in the ‘80s were it not for
the presence of contemporary actors. B
Mr. Turner (Mike Leigh, 2014, UK, 150 min.)
Viewed Theatrically First Viewing
Mike Leigh’s account
of the life of Romanticist landscape painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall) isn’t
very effective as a biopic, offering neither a very clear recap of the events
of the artist’s life or a thesis about the meaning of his work. While there is a sense that Leigh never quite
figured out why he wanted to focus on Turner, the film is nonetheless
engrossing for reasons that seem almost incidental to its ostensible
subject. The film is a fascinating look
at life in the 1800s, and is filled with bizarre details about a huge array of
subjects ranging from the preparation of pig heads for meals to ancient
methods of insect repellant to strange scientific theories about light. Jacqueline Riding is credited with research,
and her meticulous attention to detail brings the period to vivid life to a
degree that is all too rare in films set in the past. The film is also a marvel of formal delights,
with Dick Pope’s stunning cinematography nearly replicating Turner’s
Romanticist style without putting too fine a point on it. B
Whiplash (Damien Chazelle, 2014, USA, 107 min.)
Viewed On Demand First Viewing
Undoubtedly the most intense
film ever set in the world of conservatory school jazz, Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash follows the volatile
relationship between a promising young drummer (Miles Teller) and his
sadistically demanding conductor (J.K. Simmons). The film plays out less as an inspirational
teacher drama than as a brutal battle of wills akin to the drill sergeant
section of Full Metal Jacket
(1987). Certainly the film features as
much blood and sweat as the average war movie, and it’s edited with a machine-gun
precision that matches the rhythms of Teller’s drum rolls. The climax comes dubiously close to
suggesting that abusive, socially alienating behavior is a necessary tradeoff
for genius, but it is nonetheless a marvel of editing, sound mixing, and drumming. B+
