Give ‘The Guard’ a go

Don Cheadle, left, and Brendan Gleeson star in "The Guard"

Regular readers of this blog know I rarely review movies, but there’s a film out there that isn’t getting the attention it deserves, so I’m making an exception. When I saw “The Guard” on a recent weeknight, only five or six other patrons were in the theater – and that’s a shame, because it is a smart, irreverent film well worth seeing.

Built around two first-rate actors, Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, “The Guard” draws from the deep well of postmodern black humor first drilled into our consciousness by “Pulp Fiction,” yet it is also a charming, Euro-indie film with a small-town story of human frailty and strength. Then again, “The Guard” is a buddy-cop movie in the great tradition of “Die Hard,” with Gleeson and Cheadle as inspired a pairing of opposites as you could wish for. On top of that, “The Guard” is a full-on Western – complete with Ennio Morricone-like soundtrack – that just happens to take place in contemporary Ireland rather than 19th-century Nevada.

For some, this may be too mixed-up a set of references to be enjoyable – for others, it may all be a bit too obvious (trust me, if I’m picking it up, it’s obvious). But I found it hugely entertaining. When the bad guys are cruising along the highway, they don’t debate the merits of their favorite footballers or recreational drugs – no, they’re discussing philosophers (“Bertrand Russell was Welsh?”) – and then they find themselves faced with the philosophical dilemma of being pulled over by the one cop in the county not on the take (who they murder, of course).

Gleeson is, as always, amazing. His country-bumpkin sergeant manages to seem dense, roguish, depraved, and debauched – yet he’s actually the moral and intellectual center of a tiny world gone mad. Cheadle could be better (and is in many films), but he’s still better than most as an FBI square from a privileged background who’s out of his element but still savvy enough to realize what he’s gotten himself into before it’s too late.

Though the conclusion of “The Guard” is predictable, it’s the trip along the way that makes it worth arriving at, beginning with a horrifyingly grisly car crash and the sergeant’s astonishing response to it (he finds a bag of LSD on one of the victims, then tosses all of it to the wind – except for the one hit he places on his tongue). You know then it will be a wild ride, and it is: funny, shocking, poignant –  including plenty of truly lovely photography of the rugged Irish coast.

If you saw and loved “In Bruges” (which also stars Gleeson), then this is your kind of film. I was only a little surprised to learn that John Michael McDonagh, who wrote and directed “The Guard,” is the brother of that film’s creator. It’s vulgar and violent, and the accents can be hard to understand, but “The Guard” has something to say, and it says it in a fresh way. Give it a go.

Villains in the Irish landscape, from "The Guard"

Top 5 Action Thriller Movies of the 1990's

The 90's had been a decade that saw an immense improvement in the movie creating business, with laptop or computer generated images, or CGI graphics, allowing movies to do alot more than ever just before.

The action/thriller genre was one of the most affected by this immense change, as effects and stunts that were previously too pricey to do were probable. With this freedom on the technical end of the art, came the freedom for writers and directors to stretch their creative minds to the limit, and with this came some of the most expressive, impressive, and stunning movies ever made.

Movies like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, helped push breathtaking graphics into the mainstream movie viewing and helped usher in the age of digital graphics in the early 90's. It told the story of a robotic reprogrammed humanoid, or android that was sent back in time to save a man by the name of John Conner. The Film won four academy awards, one for visual effects, and was one of the leading selling movies of the decade.

Two years later, Jurassic park also pushed the limits of imagination with their fantastic effects and the capacity to replicate prehistoric life. A novel by the very same name written by Michael Crichton, this film brought the audience to a theme park composed of dinosaurs resurrected via DNA. The park is eventually overrun by its resurrected inhabitants, and the key characters are forced to survive. The movie grossed over $900 million in box office revenues, along with quite a few awards.

Later on in the 90's, The Matrix took audiences to a whole new environment with a world controlled by robots that had enslaved all of humanity. The Matrix was fantastic visually and gave all who had been watching some great stunts and action scenes. It won 4 Oscars and was nominated a record number of times for other awards.

While intense pc graphics were being utilised more and even more, movies like Pulp Fiction, (a non-linear tale of crime, drugs, and the underworld of society) and Fight Club (a tale about a group of men who employed fighting as a mental therapy for their psychological ailments) used incredibly small, and instead mesmerized audiences with their twisting stories and astonishing dialogue.

This era of filmmaking showed movie viewers new worlds previously in no way thought feasible onscreen and allowed their imaginations to run wild with the possibilities that lay ahead.

Here comes Oscar

Jennifer Lawrence (with young co-star) in Winter's Bone

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time know that I very occasionally weigh in on movies - and the recent Oscar nominations provide a ready excuse to look back at the rather weak year that 2010 was for the filmic medium.

Year Two of having 10 Best Picture nominees (up from the traditional five) shows what a problem that number can cause under such circumstances - my own record of films seen in 2010 barely includes 10 films at all, and most of those were not Best-Picture-Oscar worthy in my opinion. Still, six of them have been nominated for Best Picture, so I can comment on those - and having not seen the other four won't stop me commenting on some of them as well.

I will start with those I've seen, in descending order of my rating, then go on to explain why I haven't seen the others (yet).

1. Winter's Bone - Nice that it got nominated, since it was by far the best film of the year. An intensely good story, incredibly well told (and beautifully photographed). I also think the unaffected and mesmerizing Jennifer Lawrence deserves the Best Actress statuette, but it's likely the Academy will consider her nomination to be the prize, and award the Oscar to someone more famous.
2. The King's Speech - Like Winter's Bone, I loved this film and gave it my highest rating (4 stars). But the fact that such a modestly styled and historical presentation grabbed 12 nominations really underscores what a weak field we're considering. Firth and Rush together made this movie an extraordinary experience - if the world were just, they would share the Best Actor award.
3. True Grit - OK, we're down to my 3.5-star rating here, which ain't bad, but it's only No. 3 on the list! Coen Brothers darkness tinges a rollicking Western with a couple of hoot-worthy characters played by Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld. Both are terrific, but the kid is totally awesome. An incredible discovery. I enjoyed the film heartily, and wished I had popcorn to munch throughout.
4. The Social Network - No surprise that this got a lot of noms, as it's got a super-relevant topic and very snappy dialogue by Aaron Sorkin. I gave it 3.5 stars, but ultimately found it less memorable than those listed above.
5. The Fighter - An unoriginal story presented in a slightly novel way, with very, very good acting that elevated this film to a 3-star rating. I always expect greatness from Christian Bale, and here he comes close to the mind-bending tour-de-force that he accomplished in The Machinist (look it up, and Jennifer Jason Leigh is just as good). Melissa Leo was better in Frozen River; Mark Wahlberg may have been overlooked here.
6. Inception - OK, the Academy gave like a hundred nominations to Titanic, so nothing surprises me anymore. This was a boring action film disguised as an intellectual thriller, starring CGI (and some actual people who did nothing to distinguish themselves, unless you count delivering laughably stupid dialogue with a straight face). I only gave it 2 stars, which means I wouldn't recommend you waste the time to see it.

Now, for the Best Picture-nominated films I haven't seen, in the order I may see them in:

1. Black Swan - I have shied away from this film, despite having loved Darren Aronofsky's previous work, because I'm worried that the crazy ballerina character (seen in photo above at right) will give me unpleasant flashbacks to a couple of past girlfriends. Also, the mixed reviews. But I may buck up my courage and catch it while it's still in the theater. One more thing - am I the only person who's sick and tired of Natalie Portman already?
2. The Kids Are All Right - Gets points for correct spelling of alright. Lots of people have urged me to see this film, and I like the actors just fine. But, a long time ago, lots of people urged me to see a Lisa Cholodenko film called High Art, and it also had some pretty good actors in it, but it was so horrbly written that I shut it off after 45 minutes. Finding this available from the library will probably take several months, but maybe some day I'll see it and find out that this time they were right.
3. Toy Story 3 - Predecessors were wonderful, and this probably is, too. Didn't see it because I'm old and don't have kids. Also, it sort of bothers me that it has grossed $415 million to just $6.3 million for Winter's Bone. Could it possibly be 65 times more worthwhile?
4. 127 Hours - Didn't go because I don't crave such a harrowing experience. Probably won't ever crave such a harrowing experience. Also, I get the impression that the guy James Franco plays is so arrogant that half the audience is glad he has to cut off his arm. Yeeeesh!

Overlooked: Babies. I can't understand why this French-made documentary isn't nominated in its category. Of the five feature-length documentary nominees, I've only seen one - Restrepo - and it was amateurish in comparison to the lyrical, beautiful, nearly wordless human nature film Babies. See it and be charmed by who we are.

Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech

Best films of 2008

With the Oscars about to be awarded, it's time to try to sum up a year of movie watching with my list of personal favorites. Once again, I have failed to see all the Oscar-nominated films before the ceremony, which is inevitable if you live outside New York City or Los Angeles, as certain films have not opened here yet (Waltz with Bashir, for example).

But that's OK, because the Oscars are pretty far off the mark this year, perhaps as usual, but definitely worse than average, and I probably won't even bother to watch the show. Like many film lovers, I may instead choose to spend those hours in a theater watching a movie.

So, before getting to the list, I will explain my little system. First: I am not a movie critic and do not consider myself one. I dropped the only film course I ever took in college as soon as I realized that turning movie watching into homework assignments ruined the fun of movies altogether, and I never looked back. Readers of this blog will know that I "reviewed" Slumdog Millionaire here, but that was an exception brought on by the desire to protect unsuspecting viewers from going to it uninformed of its vapidity (recently affirmed by the APs Christy Lemire, who said, "It didn't even make my top 10 list," and The New Yorker's David Denby - you can read Denby's take here: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2009/02/09/090209crci_cinema_denby ).

So, rather than review movies, what I do is go see them with the hope of being entertained, enlightened, etc., and then I give each film a rating from zero to four stars, usually within the first hours after seeing it, less often after thinking about it for a day or two. A film gets a low rating for obvious reasons; unlike critics, I only see the movies I want to see, so the really bad ones get weeded out - the lowest rating I can recall ever having given is two stars, which means it had some merit but I wouldn't recommend it. An example of that would be The Aviator: I gave it one star for Cate Blanchett's performance and one for its quite handsome production values. Otherwise I found it to be pretty worthless, despite my high esteem for the director, Martin Scorsese.

A two-and-a-half-star movie is one I did not regret going to see and therefore would recommend. A three-star rating means I would recommend the film without hesitation. Three-and-a-half stars mean I would enthusiastically recommend the film, though it may have some minor flaws. And four-star films are as near perfect as you're going to find. A good example of this, from my point of view, is the film Kinsey, which was brilliant but almost completely overlooked by the Academy. I found it very richly compelling, beautifully filmed and acted, and gave it my highest rating. Extremely rarely, I will change my rating upon discovering weeks later that I either overrated a film I can now barely recall or underrated one I still can't stop thinking about.

One more thing: I have yet to see some of the past year's more important movies, most significantly The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (can't overcome the Forrest Gump comparisons, despite its 13 Oscar nominations); Frost/Nixon, the next film I hope to see; The Wrestler, which has resurrected the marvelous Schenectady-bred Mickey Rourke and is the other next film on my list; Doubt (saw the play in a first-rate Capital Rep production, no need to see the movie); and Gran Torino, which I would probably like but sounds like another typical Clint Eastwood movie - I'd rather see Eastwood's more offbeat efforts, such as the astonishing Letters from Iwo Jima.

And now, without further delay, my list of the best films of 2008:

**** Frozen River - Local interest adds intrigue to an already mesmerizing portrait of upstate rust-belt bleakness, with deft handling of American Indian ethnic issue and stunning performance by Melissa Leo, who deserves (but will not win) a best-actress Oscar.

**** Man on Wire - Simply enchanting

**** Revolutionary Road - Very sad but pitch-perfect in every detail. You don't like DiCaprio? He's exactly right in this film; and Winslet is quite amazing.

***1/2 The Visitor - If you missed it, put it in your Netflix queue. Emotionally disconnected professor learns from illegal immigrants what life is all about. Great music and another Oscar that should, but won't, be won (for Richard Jenkins).

***1/2 The Counterfeiters - Of many Holocaust-themed films that came out last year, this Austrian effort is the most unique, exploring the mind and heart of an avowed criminal who also happens to be Jewish and survives the camps by successfully forging British pounds for the Germans. The star, an ugly man, is riveting to watch.

***1/2 Happy-Go-Lucky - Irresistible

***1/2 A Christmas Tale - Very badly named, this French film stars Catherine DeNeuve as an icy matriarch whose family is falling apart all around her. Very complex, very original style, wonderful ensemble cast.

***1/2 Milk - No surprises here, but a sensitive, inspiring portrayal of a courageous leader. Sean Penn will win the Oscar for best actor (though I probably shouldn't be so sure, as Metroland's critics are unanimous for Mickey Rourke).

***1/2 The Reader - Another very original take on the impacts of WWII, with the performance of a lifetime by Kate Winslet (who will win her belated first Oscar for it). A bit slow going through the middle, but otherwise first-rate.

*** In Bruges - A bloody riot, featuring Colin Farrell at his best, and it makes you want to go straight to fookin' Bruges.

*** Roman de Gare - A French mystery about a writer of French mysteries. Keeps you guessing.

*** The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Holocaust again, this time from the point of view of the innocent son of a death-camp commandant and his little Jewish friend. Major twist ending.

*** A Secret (Un Secret) - OK, a pattern is developing: French again, Holocaust again. This time the portrait features an intriguing extended family of well-to-do Jews and their crisscrossing alliances and dalliances. Cécile De France is so hot in this movie that Ludivine Sagnier, the femme fatale in 2003's Swimming Pool, is cast as her ugly-duckling rival.

**1/2 Red Belt - David Mamet goes martial arts. Has great moments, the impossible to fail acting of Chiwetel Ejiofor - and a totally ridiculous plot.

**1/2 WALL-E - The most amazing animation ever done, and a story that starts out edgy - even subversive - but ends up cloyingly romantic and religious. A real disappointment.

**1/2 W. - Surprisingly evenhanded portrayal of our 43rd president by the upredictable Oliver Stone. Josh Brolin is brilliant as George W. Bush, and Richard Dreyfuss finds glee in portraying the despicable Dick Cheney. Thandie Newton defines wooden acting as Condoleezza Rice.

**1/2 Slumdog Millionaire - You already know how I feel about that one.

'Slumdog Millionaire' is Crap

Whenever a foreign film becomes the hot movie to see, it is wise to be skeptical. I wish I had been more so before deciding to go see "Slumdog Millionaire," Danny Boyle's big Indipop hit, and already the winner of a Golden Globe for Best Picture (drama).

It reminds me of that Italian movie "Life is Beautiful," which won multiple Oscars, including a best-actor statuette for Roberto Benigni. No, "Slumdog" is nothing like "Life is Beautiful" - except in the way it became an undeservedly huge hit in the United States, while many other, far better foreign films got ignored.

The joke about Benigni winning the award for best actor is that he doesn't act - he is a comedian who always plays the same fellow, like Woody Allen or Charlie Chaplin, and he does it marvelously well.

Before his international success with "L is B," Benigni was a popular star in Italy; I saw several of his films in my time there in the early '90s, in which he always acted the same way. He also was in a wonderful Jim Jarmusch film quite a few years earlier called "Down by Law" - those of you who saw it may recall that he was the same in that one, too. I saw "L is B" in Europe, long before it came to the U.S., and then had to fend off several months' worth of friends' urgings to go see it after it came here. It was not worth seeing twice, and it annoyed me that they all thought it was such a great Italian film, when lots of others are better.

So, back to "Slumdog." It is not Best Picture material. It is not even the best film out of India that I've seen this year (that would be "The Pool," which deals with some of the same themes in infinitely more subtle ways).

"Slumdog" is a fairytale with paper-thin characters. It is excessively violent. It is grossly exploitative of its subject matter (severe poverty and child abuse in Mumbai). It has as its centerpiece a lowbrow, cheaply produced television show that I would never choose to watch.

"Slumdog" is not particularly well-filmed (though the music is very good) and the actors are merely adequate, which isn't saying much considering the script. Only the youngest version of Jamal (the Slumdog) and the oldest version of his brother, Salim, merit accolades for their performances (there are three actors of different ages for each, as well as three for the girl, Latika).

What's wrong with the script, you ask? OK, here I go - Spoiler Alert! - the Slumdog wins the 20 million rupees and he gets the girl. Love wins out over everything (a love based on who knows what, unless it's just her looks) and in countless ways the audience is asked to suspend disbelief.

And for what? So we can be made to endure horrific images of child abuse, social stratification, religious war, police torture, gangsters, liars, cheaters, etc. and then be expected to feel great about this one kid whose incredible luck leads him to win a stupid game show, and then take the whore as his own.

The film concludes by posing the preposterous notion that this all happened because "it is written." Then everybody has a big ol' Bollywood dance number on a train platform (it is worth noting that the two stars don't dance well, either).

And so I say, it is crap.