New Reviews: Hereafter & Conviction

Heaven Can Wait

No matter what, I will never abandon Clint Eastwood. I will argue with anyone, to this day, that the man is one of the most talented filmmakers working today. His style is subtle, but able to conform to any style that can bring out the most important bits in a film. Lately, however, he’s been coming up a little short in the directorial department. I place the blame squarely on Gran Torino, a film that sucked all the creativity out of Eastwood in favor of stale, blatant depictions of very poor storytelling. Even still, I try to support him as much as possible. I think he’s getting slightly better in his work, but this film, while offering some different strokes from him and pays off in small victories, can’t quite reach the level expected of such a master filmmaker.

There are three simultaneous stories going on in this film, all concerning the themes of the afterlife. One is about a French woman (Cécile de France) who is coping with a near death experience from surviving the 2004 tsunami. The other is about a set of twins living in London. When an accident occurs, the surviving film (Frankie McLaren) copes with the loss of his brother. The other story features top-biller Matt Damon as a psychic trying to move beyond his profession. Bryce Dallas Howard shows up briefly in his timeline as a woman who enters his life and finds out more than she initially wanted.

Eastwood seems to be doing something a little different here, as most of his films tend to, while beautifully executed, find a certain note and communicate it with some noted specificity. Here, it seems like Eastwood is trying to leave the door a little more open, and I still find it something that can work well with his style. However, I would still say he doesn’t get a great hold onto the material and lets large sections drag into dull territory. This is also due to the fact that Peter Morgan’s script, working very much out of his element, lacks so much dramatic and emotional weight that the material feels too lofty to truly take hold. Morgan can pick and choose certain moments that are well conceived, but most of the time it comes up short, leaving Eastwood and his actors to fend for themselves.

I think Damon is a great actor, and much like the performance he gave in Invictus, here he’s not going all out but doing serviceable work. I would say he makes a greater impression than his previous work with Eastwood, but it’s still a little more subdued than I’d like him to be. France gives a lot to her performance, but suffers because her storyline mutes a lot of the emotion. The strongest of the is the one concerning the twins, and the two boys give a very convincing performance as one character, carrying nearly all of the film’s genuine emotional weight.

There’s a few elements that I admire in the film, like Eastwood’s mostly stately direction and a few of the performances. There’s even some things I love, like the story concerning the twins. But, in the end, it never quite comes together and the film never finds the emotional pull it needs, particularly with a story that needs that element in order to survive. I will still give a defense to Eastwood, unless he really chooses to abandon all reason and go off the reservation (the pain of Gran Torino will never die). I give him points for trying something different, but not enough to call this a success.

C+

Barring Time

Unfortunately, Hilary Swank only makes two kinds of movies. They are either good, solid films or they are downright terrible. The gap between movies like Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby and Insomnia and those like The Core, P.S. I Love You and Amerlia couldn’t be wider. There’s never a film that you’ll think is just okay. You’ll either like it or loathe it. I’m happy to report that, this time around, I didn’t come off hating this film with a passion like so many of her others. In fact, by virtue of the rules, I rather liked it on the whole.

Inspired by real life events, Swank plays Betty Ann Waters, a lower-middle class Boston woman who is shocked when her brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is tried and convicted for a murder that he claims he did not commit. She fervently believes him, and sets on a nearly twenty year journey to set him free, which includes her going to law school and becoming a lawyer for the sole purpose of representing her brother. Minnie Driver is along for the ride as Waters’s best friend in her law class, and there’s some supporting work from the likes of Melissa Leo as a possibly corrupt cop and Juliette Lewis as one of Kenny’s flamboyant ex-girlfriends.

For the record, I don’t hate Swank. I even believe that most of the projects she’s in that hinder on the terrible side of the equation are not at her own fault. It’s the material, but she sometimes has difficulty of elevating it to something respectable. This film had the capability of being that type of film, with it’s predictably uplifting storytelling. But, she manages to keep the right amount genuine emotion to keep it all on a believable level. It takes a truly great actor to not get lost in that ridiculously harsh Boston accent, but Swank manages to come out the other side intact. I’d also give a lot of credit to Rockwell, an even better actor, who gives a convincing portrait of Kenny as a complicated man with a lot going on behind the eyes. I wouldn’t count this as one of his best performances, but it’s one that continues to prove how good of an actor he continues to be. Driver, Leo and Lewis all offer some fun in their roles, even though Lewis might be having a little too much fun in the trailer trash role.

There are times when director Tony Goldwyn and writer Pamela Gray come together and create a film that seems sincere in its messages about overcoming the odds and never losing faith. However, Goldwyn often times overindulges on a somewhat saggy midsection in the pace, and Gray deviates far too many times from the actual throughline of the story, particularly felt during flashbacks to see Betty Ann and Kenny as youth. Even though the young Betty Ann is played by the super-talented Bailee Madison, it still comes across as an unnecessary distraction. The film also misses the mark in the follow-up events, leaving out a rather important piece of information as to what happened to one of the main characters. I won’t reveal it, but it certainly puts a more interesting spin on the story that the film chose to leave out.

In all honesty, I was ready to hate this film. Instead, I found it to be well acted, well executed and having a rather uplifting message and theme without doing too much to separate itself beyond some slow parts and usual genre clichés. It’s everything that The Blind Side attempted and failed to be. I’m not touting this as one of the best films of the year, but it’s certainly an enjoyable one and a nice little surprise at that. Hilary Swank has a win for this one, but we still have to take her one project at a time.

B

New Reviews: The Social Network & Let Me In

Friendly Request

When the collection of artists were gathering around one another for the making of this film, I couldn't help but wonder, when the film was in its infancy, whether or not this could be a totally successful film. I didn't doubt any of the talent of these people, but I admit that I was slightly cautious in the beginning if this could be pulled off. Then, when the trailer hit, I was so wowed by its hypnotic tone and somber visuals that my anticipation for it pretty much skyrocketed. Having actual seen the film, I'm happy to report that all the parties involved have done a wondrous job, cultivating in a near masterpiece.

Based on the Ben Mezrich book The Accidental Billionaires, the film opens up on Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) who, after a tortuous breakup conversation with his girlfriend, collaborates with his roommates on a project that rates women based on looks. Because of his veracity and intelligence, Zuckerberg gets invited to work on a local project for Harvard networking. That becomes the basis of the modern "Facebook" which he works on with his more financially stable best friend Eduardo (Andrew Garfield). But as the film shows in multiple deposition hearings, the friendships and betrayals start to show their true colors.

When David Fincher is directing a movie, you can pretty much guarantee that it's going to have some nice merits. What he brings here is his trademark sense of tight control that allows for a great visual feast to be seen. It may not be quite as illustrious as his previous film, but Fincher is still working with material that revolves around intimacy, and he handles the material so seamlessly that it feels effortless. Even in the one instance, present in every Fincher film and surely recognizable in this one, that disavows the natural rhythm of the storytelling in favor of eccentric visual flare feels to have slightly more meaning than his previous indulgences. It's evidence of a filmmaker who is older, not too much wiser, but learning not to seep into mediocrity in his old age (I'm looking at you to follow, Clint Eastwood).

While I did like Fincher's last film a good deal, a big hiccup was that the marriage of director and writer wasn't in complete bliss. Fincher's sense of nihilism doesn't mesh well with Eric Roth's sentimentality. This time around, it would seem that an Aaron Sorkin script, which predicates itself on dialogue that is so quick and fee-flowing that it seems improvised, wouldn't work well with Fincher's controlling and meticulous direction. But in a way, Sorkin's writing has always been dependent on the precision of its delivery, and his script here is very well done. He paints a story that touches on all the raw emotions that surface when friends turn on one another, as well as providing some interesting tension during the deposition scenes. It's another gem in the Sorkin crown, already glowing pretty brightly.

What surprised me the most of this film is that it really isn't a centerpiece on Zuckerberg; he's the core that holds the film together, but he is nowhere near the most important piece to the puzzle. Not to take anything away from Eisenberg, who has been delivering great work since The Squid and the Whale and once again gives an outstanding performance that captures all the right tones that Zuckerberg should maintain. It might not all be true, but Eisenberg embodies a quiet persona that lets onto a complex mind that brims underneath. Garfield is another actor that I've been impressed with for a few years, and word on the street is it was this performance that nabbed him the role of Spider-Man. I can definitely see that, and he is, in my opinion, the best performer in the film, bringing in all the humor and hurt emotions that feel so genuine. I hope Eisenberg and Garfield nab Oscar nominations, and at this point, I'd put Garfield down as a winner in my own personal book.

However, they are not the only good performers here. Timberlake shows up as notorious Napster founder Sean Parker, and he pours on a sly and devious character that makes an interesting foil to the more sheepish Zuckerberg. Timberlake doesn't chew the scenery as much as I would have wanted him to (when you have a character that can get away with it, you should take it), but he's memorable enough to leave an impression on the film as well as leave a promise for an already well established acting career. I also really liked Armie Hammer, who plays the twins that claim to have provided the idea of Facebook that Zuckerberg stole, hence the deposition. It's difficult for any actor to act with themselves, but he pulls it off flawlessly. There's so much he brings to the table that his convictions made me eager to see a film based entirely on his characters. He is the unsung hero of the film that works best when looked as an ensemble piece.

At first, I thought I wasn't incredibly wowed by the film, but after thinking about it more and more, I really did end up loving it. Even the one moment I thought was odd actually makes sense in the larger context. I don't think it's my favorite Fincher film (there's always a place for Fight Club) but he and his collaborators have crafted, without a doubt, one of the best films of the year. Smartly written, wonderfully performed and touching on universal themes known for generations, this is a movie that reminds you of what great filmmaking can aspire to be.

A

Feeling Drained

For some reason or another, the necessity of Americans to have their own English language interpretations of foreign stories is never in short supply. Although, for some unknown and blessed reason, Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También hasn’t received such treatment. Still, not only has the appetite for American remakes continue to stay strong, the amount of time between the original film and the remake has begun to shrink. Earlier this year we had Death at a Funeral, whose original film was only two and a half years old. Now even the half year is shaved off, as the film this one is based on was released in 2008. As a stand alone piece, it manages some nice tricks here and there while obviously coming up short in its unescapable comparison.

Let the Right One In was an atmospheric vampire film set in Sweden that focused on the relationship between a boy named Oscar and a little girl named Eli with a taste for blood. The new film transport the action to 1983 New Mexico, with now Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) dodging sadistic bullies at every turn. There are also new neighbors who have just moved in next door to Owen’s apartment: an older gentleman (Richard Jenkins) and a younger girl named Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz) with the same thirst.

If you are familiar with the original film, then you’ll recognize just how similar the plot is to the first one. In fact, writer-director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) seems to have set out to strike the same type of story and tone as the original did. This makes is particularly difficult to judge it as a stand alone piece because so many elements of this film harken back to its Swedish predecessor. While Reeves never quite manages to capture the more ambiguous and ominous tone from the original, which here has pretty much been jettisoned in favor of blunt storytelling, what he does maintain well is a film that works best as a dark love story. For as much horror there is in the film, there’s just enough of the more tender moments as well. Reeves even shortened a subplot that concerned a newly made vampire, and even though he retreads on what most of the original had, there’s a distinct flavor he tries to make his own.

I remember thinking that while Kodi Smit-McPhee was capable in The Road, there was something about a lack of connection with Mortensen that kept me at a distance. Much of the film is Smit-McPhee by himself, and he’s actually quite impressive, carrying a bit more mystery and intrigue than the original Oscar had. I do feel that Moretz is a bit of a letdown, if only because her familiarity with the current pop culture makes the mysterious quality of her character seem less fulfilled. Much like the original film, most of the talented adult actors like Elias Koteas and Richard Jenkins, are left on the sideline, while the bully character this time doesn’t have the same contradictory appeal as the original film had.

If you haven’t seen the original film, then you might like this presentation of a more intimate horror film with some shining performances and tender moments. If you have seen the original, then you’re mind will always harken back to what that film did so well and how hard this one is trying to copy it. Even though Let the Right One In wasn’t perfect, it did handle its material a little better, keeping the horror to an absolute minimum. Let Me In embellishes a little bit more in the horror, but also does its best to sharpen the focus on the relationships. That iconic pool scene doesn’t have the same grab as executed the first time, but it attempts to make it its own. Reeves achieves that to an extent, and hopefully it will give people an incentive to see the original film.

B-