Chronicle -- Super-boys Video Their Transformation After Alien Infection

Alien encounters have so much imaginative potential. It doesn’t have to be ‘Independence Day’ to be interesting. Here, writers Max Landis and Josh Trank flesh out the simple idea of ‘what if’. What if three high school boys accidentally find an alien object? What if they develop superhuman powers? What if their powers become too hard to control? See....simple. The video-documenting of their exploits is goofy, but serves an OK purpose. Keeping it short (83 minutes) and finding some great young actors certainly helps. My rating: $6.50 (1.-10.).

Andrew Detmer (23 year-old Dane DeHaan - ‘Amigo’/‘True Blood’) lives at home with his alcoholic father (who’s on disability after a work accident) and mom (in the terminal stages of cancer). Dad is a pinhead abuser. The movie opens as Andrew begins to record his life -- originally to stop his dad’s abuse, then because he becomes obsessed.....cuz he’s the geek who gets abused about everywhere.

Cousin Matt (Alex Russell - ‘Almost Kings’) is Andrew’s only real friend. Matt is hot but still too immature to know how to use it. Matt hangs with the extremely popular Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan - ‘The Wire’/‘Friday Night Lights’/‘Parenthood’) but always tries to include Andrew. Unfortunately, everywhere he goes, Andrew gets harassed. With a camera perpetually on his shoulder, he’s an even bigger target.

Shortly into the movie, there’s a rave in the countryside that they all attend. Steve drags Andrew out into the woods where he and Matt have found a huge hole they want documented on film. Of course they jump into the big, deep hole.....they have “drunk” as an excuse. What they find looks like a smaller version of Superman’s spaceship -- it draws sweat towards itself and something live seems to be inside. The camera is disrupted by the energy from the thing and Andrew is behind the others, yet, Steve’s encounter with the object is seen from the far side in undisturbed detail. You’ll have to overlook some of these inconsistencies.

Almost immediately, they begin to exhibit strange new powers that grow and grow over the rest of the movie. Matt is the voice of reason. Andrew is the most talented with the telekinetics --- and the most emotionally disturbed. Steve learns to fly first. That leads to great aerial scenes, fast, exciting, very well done. Andrew’s ability to manipulate the camera while doing other things at the same time explains how much of their activity gets filmed without anyone having to hold the camera anymore.

Intermittently, we are reminded of Andrew’s terrible home life. It’s sad when he tries to pick up medicine for his mother who is in horrible pain. He’s told that he must pay up front before the pharmacy will order the medicine --- $780.00. Dad is on disability and drinking most of it away. He takes all his anger and frustration out on Andrew. But, when Andrew decides to use his powers to get the money, does he rob a bank? No, he goes after the punks who picked on him and beats them up to get it.....like what???? $50.00????

The boys’ outcomes you will have to watch the movie to see. The special effects are very enjoyable and worth seeing. I’m not sure if they planned it, but the end leaves an opening for a sequel.

I have to say, probably the dumbed line in all the movie is when Andrew is in the hospital and the policeman says they have to leave his camera on for continuity of the investigation. Really!?! How about security cameras? Would have been more logical.....but that’s just me.

In a genius move, they add a hot, female video-blogger who hooks up with Matt. This twist allows a legitimate, alternative camera angle occasionally.

Max Landis gets credit for turning his and Trank’s story into a screenplay. It’s Trank who ultimately directed. Nice partnership, I have to say.

‘Chronicle’ is rated ‘PG-13’. The language, later violence, and some of the talk about sex is not for small kids.

Big Miracle -- This Whale of a Story Will Strum Your Happy Heartstrings!!

At a time when Hollywood seems to be struggling with finding original film ideas to draw audiences back into theaters nationwide, the best thing moviemakers are doing is finding and recreating stories of humanity’s successes. ‘Red Tails’ was the latest. ‘Dolphin Tails’ was the summer blockbuster. Now, we have a tiny town in Alaska that, in 1988, drew the world’s attention when a whale family became trapped under a nearby ice flow five miles from open ocean. A cascade of unimaginable miracles galvanized people from all walks of life into saving three helpless ocean mammals. My rating: $9.50 (1.-10.).

John Krasinski plays Adam Carlson, an Anchorage newscaster who is nearing the end of a month of special interest stories about a tiny Inupiat village in northern Alaska -- translated = fluff pieces. The big story of the month is the Mexican peppers headlining the local Mexican restaurant. Just the cutest little boy, Nathan (played by Anchorage 6th grader, Ahmaogak Sweeney), is Adam’s “sidekick” who dreams of leaving the village. His grandfather struggles to give him a respect for his ancestry by teaching him their native traditions - including whale harvesting to feed the village.

Probably the most impressive performance comes from Drew Barrymore as Greenpeace activist, Rachel Kramer. She’s outspoken and irritating to just about everyone. Rachel is introduced as she’s dragged kicking and screaming from a leasing auction where the state of Alaska is selling drilling rights inside Alaskan wildlife preserves. But, Barrymore tempers Rachel’s obnoxious determination with a true heart for the helpless and endangered creatures of the world. You can’t not like her.

It turns out that Adam and Rachel once had a relationship that dissolved because of her obsessive need to save the world. Yet, it’s Rachel that Adam calls when saving the whales seems too big a challenge. It’s Rachel who dons a wetsuit in minus thirty-degree weather to swim with the whales and assess their physical status (giving one of the most beautifully filmed scenes of the movie). It’s Rachel who fights for three whales against tribal chiefs who want to kill the whales for food, against the freezing weather that threatens to close the only breathing hole in the ice, and against all the naysayers who would have given up.

The billionaire oil man who wants to drill for oil and risk the wildlife preserve is played with great bluster by Ted Danson. Cold and money-grubbing up front, he’s manipulated by his brilliant wife, Ruth (Kathy Baker - ‘Blue Bloods’), into helping his reputation in the community by bankrolling transfer of his company’s icebreaking pontoon across Alaska to help the whales. That’s where Dermot Mulroney (‘The Grey’) comes in as Colonel Scott Boyer, National Guard pilot in charge of the helicopters dragging the pontoon across the state. Boyer was most unhappy to be risking his and his men’s lives for three whales. His heart softens later, partly because of a very interesting motivator from the White House named Kelly Meyers (Vinessa Shaw- ‘3:10 to Yuma’/‘Puncture’).

There is added enjoyment from Kristen Bell as Jill Jerard, big league reporter who appears to have more depth than expected. She even pines to Adam about not wanting to be a news ‘Barbie Doll’. Adam crushes on her, mostly because he wants to get into the big news market. She is want he thinks he wants in life.

Stephen Root (‘Cedar Rapids’) takes a turn as Governor Haskell who ends up on the whale wagon to save his political bottom -- and never regrets it. There are plenty of other faces you’ll recognize. There’s not a bad role in the movie.

Virginia Beach, take note, Stihl chainsaws figure prominently in saving the whales!!

In true conservational manner, we learn good facts about these whales compared to others, why they can’t get out, whale dedication to family, and their importance through history spiritually and in sustainability of native Alaskan life. Very painless.

THE BEST THING is the great feeling you will have deep inside as three whales break down all barriers to human kindness -- YEAHHH!! If you can get away without tearing up, you fell asleep. My 87-year-old, post-stroke mom stayed awake through the whole movie saying,‘That’s the best movie I think I’ve ever seen’.

The stereotypical jokes about the cold make the rescue efforts more impressive -- 70 below??? -- as well as more heartwarming. The Russian assist at the end is a cherry on top. The native jokes go both ways when all the “city folks” hit town paying $500.00 for a hotel room and $20.00 for cardboard to stand on so their feet won’t freeze. One idiot asks a local waitress, ‘Are you Mexican?’. She replies, ‘Only at work’.

Cinematographer turned writer, Thomas Rose, has written the book about the rescue called, “Freeing the Whales”. Michael Begler and Jack Amiel (partners also on ‘The Prince and Me’/‘The Shaggy Dog’/‘Raising Helen’) wrote this admirable screenplay.

Veteran director, Ken Kwapis (‘Dunston Checks In’/‘The Beautician and Beast’/‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’/‘License to Wed’) gets applause himself for making a film I (and others according to comments made after the screening) will be buying on DVD. Sure, I’m going to see all the shoot-em-up movies, too, this weekend. But, everyone needs to relight their inner faith in mankind occasionally.

Rated ‘PG’, ‘Big Miracle’ runs 1 hour 47 minutes. Stay for the credits to see what became of many of the major characters in real life. Good movie watching!!

Man on a Ledge -- Simple Suicide Attempt Turns into A High-Rise Thriller

Put a man on the ledge of building in New York and you get.....a traffic jam. Put Sam Worthington on a ledge in New York and you get.....my attention no matter what the movie is about. ‘Man on a Ledge’ does have a plot, however. An ex-cop framed by a nasty bad guy needs to prove his innocence and get a little revenge along the way. Adding a great cast, humor, and some thrilling stunts serves up excitement at the theater this weekend. My rating: $7.00 (1.-10.).

The beginning confused me at first. A guy in a prison getting the poop beat out of him. The guy, Nick Cassidy (Worthington) has done some shameful act for which he claims innocence. An ex-cop, the remainder of his life will be spent behind bars. The future is bleak, especially when he learns that his father has died thinking him a criminal. Very gut-wrenching.

Since I’m a little slow, the fact he attended the funeral surprised me. But, when his brother, Joey (the wiry Jamie Bell - ‘Jumper’), totally goes ballistic on him in front of the police escort, I thought it might be a set up. Yep, that’s when the fun starts. The getaway is just a taste of the intricate planning that goes into the rest of the movie.

Next thing you know, he’s taking a leisurely trip into New York and checking into a nice hotel. The movie title is ‘Man on a Ledge‘ leaving little guesswork as to what happens next. He appears to have a last meal, write a last note, and nervously climbs onto the ledge. When the crowd far below begins to notice him, they become an audience. Didn’t know this but it make sense -- a “jumper” can cause such chaos, police close off entire blocks to traffic during the crisis. Chaos and crowds can hide a multitude of things.

The rest of the movie is a masterpiece of interconnected moves all dependent on each player being in the right place at the right time. Florida native, the beautiful Genesis Rodriguez (‘Entourage’), plays Joey’s girlfriend, Angie. Angie has a wild side that makes her Joey’s perfect soulmate. She also becomes essential to the exploits that help Nick.....from across the street in jeweler, David Englander’s (Ed Harris - ‘Appaloosa’) safe. Harris plays the perfectly aloof, corrupt, and egotistical bad guy with flair. Each and every step is outrageous, impossible, and exciting while being executed.

Meanwhile, Nick is still on the ledge keeping a bevy of cops busy trying to talk him off the ledge. Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks - ‘The Uninvited’) is a cop who lost her last “jumper”. No one on the force lets her forget it. Nick picks her to be his negotiator -- you’ll see why when you watch the movie. Ed Burns plays the more senior and popular police negotiator, Jack Dougherty. Anthony Mackie (‘Real Steel’/‘Adjustment Bureau’) plays Nicks ex-partner and best friend, Mike Ackerman, who has secrets.

Surprising was Kyra Sedgwick (‘The Closer’) playing obnoxious and inflammatory newswoman, Suzie Morales (cuz she looks and sounds Hispanic --????). You’ll just want to smash a pie in her face. Titus Welliver (just in the ‘Touch’ pilot) is a questionable cop named Dante Marcus.

So, you get that several subplots are running at the same time -- groups of people all managing separate agendas.....who will win? Time is limited within the movie as SWAT is called to end Nick’s grandstanding once a helicopter newsman shows his face on TV. Will Joey and Angie, Lydia, and Nick reach their goals? You know they will but in ways you’d never guess.

The best scenes (sorry Sam) are during Joey and Angie’s time getting into the vault. Joey is lowering Angie when she slips and almost hits alarms. Perfectly timed, he says under his breath, ‘Light as a feather.’ She replies, ‘I HEARD THAT!’

Pablo F. Fenjves wrote the script. He’s done mostly TV writing previously: ‘Trophy Wife’, ‘The Devil’s Child’, and ‘Twilight Man’. This is a well-crafted project for a TV writer. Asger Leth directed. He is also new to the big screen and shows much talent.

‘Man on a Ledge’ is rated ‘PG-13’ for some language and violence. It also will give young kids the idea that cops are bad which should be avoided. This is not a deep movie. It’s simply fun without actually being simple. It’ll do well this weekend, I believe.

Maybe I’ll see you at the ‘Big Miracles’ screening Saturday. Enjoy your movie weekend!

Underworld: Awakening -- Vampire Saga Wakes Up in a Whole New Direction

I love a good vampire movie and will watch one even if it’s not so good. ‘Underworld: Awakening’ turned out to be somewhere in the middle. I’m thinking this might be a transitional movie toward a new storyline that might open the franchise up for more sequels. Hey, it could happen. ‘Awakening’ is compact at 88 minutes while still giving us lots of supernatural action scenes so no one has time to get bored. My rating: $7.00 (1.-10.).

To refresh things, vampires and werewolves have come out of the darkness and begun turning so many humans that the CDC has deemed them a disease to be eradicated. Police and military hunt the infected door-to-door, destroying everyone sensitive to silver or daylight. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and Michael (Scott Speedman) are preparing to sail away from all the chaos when the authorities manage to stop them.

Twelve years later......a whole new cast is born.

Stephen Rea (‘Ondine’/‘Nothing Personal’) plays Dr. Jacob Lane, leader of the lab that is supposed to be assuring safety of the human race. Only he’s really experimenting with genetics of the vampires and werewolves to enhance his own agenda. Selene is awakened from a frozen sleep by someone she doesn’t see. Here’s where she gets to escape --- lots of stupid human men get their buttinskis kicked.

During the escape, Selene picks up a young girl, Eve (pretty 18 year-old India Eisley - Ashley in ‘The Secret Life of the American Teenager’), Selene’s daughter, who morphs into a really cool creature when the attack-wolves catch up with their escape vehicle. Wondering how THAT pregnancy happened? I’m still contemplating it.

Handsome British newcomer, Theo James, plays David, a vampire from a hidden coven who wants to start a rebellion that will get vampires out of hiding. He’s driving the van. They go to the underground coven where David’s dad, Thomas (veteran actor Charles Dance - ‘Your Highness’/‘There Be Dragons’) keeps the coven hidden in fear. Another great action scene happens here.

Shortly thereafter, we find out the real agenda. I won’t tell you, it’s too short a movie. I will say it involves lots more supernatural fighting and gunplay.

An unlikely hero shows up to help along as much as a human can in these situations. Police Detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy - ‘For Colored Girls’/‘The Good Wife’) ends up helping Selene -- why? That’s another thing you’ll have to get by seeing the movie.

And, where’s Michael in all this --- we think dead almost till the end. Maybe he’ll show up in the next sequel?????

Once again, it’s a short film with little connection to the earlier, original vampire vs werewolf clashes. Eve (always the name in sci-fi flicks for a first in a species) has new powers as the first generation between vampire and werewolf. I loved when she gets mad---really, really cool! Let’s face it, the special effects make the movie.

Original writer/director, Len Wiseman (also director -‘Live Free or Die Hard’), pretty much took over this production. He came up with the story and wrote the screenplay with John Hlavin (TV writer - ‘The Shield’/‘Trust Me’), J. Michael Straczynski (writer - ‘Thor’/‘Changeling’), and Allison Burnett (writer - ‘Untraceable’/‘Fame’). Kevin Grevioux and Danny McBride get credit for their original work creating previous ‘Underworld’ films but didn’t participate in ‘Awakening’ as far as I can tell.

The Swedish team of Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein co-directed.

‘Underworld: Awakening’ is rated ‘R’ for a lot of violence that might not disturb a savvy kid over 8 years (although why would you pay to have them exposed to it?). Because the story is so different and short, it’s like heavy appetizers -- good but not totally satisfying. That’s why I hope they plan to make more, ‘Underworld’ lovers will enjoy it anyway.

Red Tails -- Tuskegee Airmen Piloted by Lucas Films Makes for An Unforgettable Flight!

The Tuskegee Airmen need no one to justify their worth in the archives of history. Yet, in a time when we need the inspiration of real heros, it’s appropriate that the Red Tails take another bow in a Hollywood movie to be proud of. Casted with, probably, the most beautiful black men ever assembled in one movie doesn’t hurt either.!! My rating: $8.00 (1.-10.).

There were many more Tuskegee airmen than are depicted in ‘Red Tails’. This story focuses on a small group of the earliest trailblazers -- their flaws, their strengths, and their humanity -- that changed the face of black pilots in the military and beyond. They disproved the propaganda of mainstream white America that the color of their skin made them inferior, way before Martin Luther King had his day. That’s an underdog for us to idolize today.

Terrence Howard (‘August Rush’/‘The Ledge’) plays Colonel A.J. Bullard, leader of the airmen and voice to the Washington brass that both started the Tuskegee “experiment” and tried to bury them. Funny, he’s called “the old man” when he’s not at all old -- don’t know how old the real guy was at the time. Norfolk native, Nate Parker (‘Felon’/‘The Secret Life of Bees’) is squadron leader, Martin ‘Easy’ Julian, who has an alcohol problem. His hut-mate and best friend is Lightning Little.

The most charismatic of all the movie, Joe ‘Lightning’ Little, is played by David Oyelowo (‘The Help’/‘Ride of the Planet of the Apes’). Arrogant yet sincere, his daredevil personality takes him to great heights and us to some of the best aerial scenes of all. We see him find, pursue, and fall in love with an Italian beauty (Massachusetts native, Daniela Ruah - Kensi on ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’) -- very sweet. When her mom goes on their first date, the look on his face is priceless.

Tristan Wilds (‘90210’) plays Ray ‘Junior’ Gannon, who is always kidded about being the youngest pilot. Junior has a flight accident that ultimately leads to his becoming a prisoner of war. Then, there’s Elijah Kelley (‘Hairspray’) who plays Samuel ‘Joker’ George, Leslie Odom, Jr. (‘Smash” - NBC Spielberg series airing 2/6/12) plays Declan ‘Winky’ Hall, Kevin Phillips (‘Blood and Bone’) plays Leon ‘Neon’ Edwards, and Method Man aka Clifford Smith (‘The Mortician’) plays Sticks.

Cuba Gooding, Jr. took the supporting role of Major Emanuelle Stance, the Colonel’s second in command. It’s a little bit awkward in that he seems to be restrained in a small corner of the movie. Maybe one of you can describe it better. He makes a deal of his pipe, chewing it, smoking it, smiling around it. His character is the motivator, steadying the guys during all the ups and downs.

Lars van Riesen plays ‘Pretty Boy’, the stereotypical German meanie who leads all the raids against American fliers. Of course, the Red Tails kick his butt in an amazing bit of cinematography. He glares very well.

In short, the guys go from frustrated figureheads to bigger-than-life heros in their own time. It's unfortunate that it took so much more time back home to get the same adulation.

The screenplay was adapted from the book ‘Red Tails, Black Wings: The Men of America’s Black Air Force’ (2000) by John B. Holway. Holway has updated and or published it again as ‘Red Tails: An Oral History of the Tuskegee Airmen’ this year. Writer John Ridley (‘Stray Dogs’/‘Third Watch’/‘The Wanda Sykes Show’) developed the movie story and co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron McGruder (TV - ‘The Boondocks’).

Anthony Hemingway directed. Hemingway has been a television writer for years on such hits as ‘Fringe’, ‘CSI: NY’, ‘True Blood’, and ‘The Wire’. He worked on his directing skills as second director on many of the television shows for which he wrote. He learned well. Or, maybe it was a work of love all around.

Rated ‘PG-13’, this is a full 2 hour movie. The actors are really too perfect but they make great heros. And, I’m not sure all the glib bantering in the cockpit happened....granted, I wasn’t there. Oh, and the aerial sequences rival any previous WW II film you’ve ever seen. Their personal histories and personalities were brilliantly portrayed. So, Hollywood helped -- i.e. big studio LucasFilm Ltd. It’s a true history that no one can deny. If it’s not the number one at the box office this weekend, I’ll be surprised.

See you at the movies!!

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close -- Max von Sydow Interview About Himself and His Newest Movie

 

Tons of publicity is being generated around this new post-911 feature coming out tomorrow starring Tom Hanks, Thomas Horn, and Sandra Bullock.  I sincerely feel this is the movie to see this weekend.  Here's just one of the many press releases out this week.  Going to 'Redtails' at Lynnhaven tonight.  See you there!!

 

 

Max von Sydow’s pursuit of simplicity

 

By Mark Feeney

Globe Staff  

January 15, 2012

 

Asked if he ever thinks about his place in movie history, Max von Sydow expresses puzzlement. Can the reporter explain the question? This request has nothing to do with translation difficulties. Von Sydow’s English is almost as formidable as the timbre of his magnificent Nordic baritone. No, what gives the Swedish actor trouble is history as a relevant concept.

True, von Sydow has appeared in more than 125 movies. The latest, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,’’ opens Friday. Twelve of those movies were directed by the late Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007), with whom von Sydow forged one of the great actor-director relationships in film history. He’s also worked with such filmmakers as Alf Sjoberg, John Huston, David Lynch, Woody Allen, Wim Wenders, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and the director of “Extremely Loud,’’ Stephen Daldry. But history, by definition, is a thing of the past, and von Sydow, 82, very much remains a working actor, even if he does speak facetiously of having retired.

Based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s best-selling 2005 novel, “Extremely Loud’’ stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock as the parents of Oskar (Thomas Horn), a prodigiously intelligent and prodigiously maddening 9-year-old. After his father dies in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, Oskar crisscrosses New York looking for the lock that fits a key he found in his father’s closet. Von Sydow plays a mute elderly man who accompanies Oskar on his travels. Known only as The Renter, he is a boarder in Oskar’s grandmother’s apartment.

Speaking by telephone from New York last week, von Sydow talked about “Extremely Loud’’ and his own extremely impressive career.

Q. Your character doesn’t speak. How was that experience for you as an actor?

A. It’s very interesting, particularly if you haven’t done it before. Reading the script it appealed to me very much. When you are caught up in age, like me, and been in a few films, sooner or later the casting directors decide that you are good for certain things. When they need somebody for these they go to people they know have done it before, and that’s the most boring thing that can happen to an actor: to be forced to repeat himself. You just wish somebody might hire you for the possibility of something you haven’t done before.

Q. At the opposite extreme, you had your biggest success last year using just your voice, on the video game “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.’’

A. I bought a couple of those the other day. I haven’t seen it yet; I don’t have the consoles. I don’t know anything about video games, it’s the only contact I’ve had with them. I’m looking forward to seeing it. It felt like an interesting adventure.

Q. How much harder is acting in a language other than Swedish?

A. It is difficult, of course, but it’s just a matter where you have to prepare yourself, prepare yourself, prepare yourself! It’s not just a matter of remembering words. Your muscles in your face and mouth have to remember the language too, all these poor muscles, to deliver what they’re supposed to deliver. Whoof [a syllable that seems to combine consternation and exhilaration in equal parts]! It’s tough, but it’s so interesting, too, as a challenge. I love the English language.

Q. Do you have a favorite moment in the movie?

A. Well, the important moments are many. The one I find very interesting is the scene where Oskar shows me his answering machine. It’s a very complex moment, where this boy who has lost his father, who never met his grandfather and who doesn’t know who the grandfather is or was, he runs this machine with the voice of his dead father.

Q. How did you and Thomas Horn get along?

A. Very well. He’s a remarkable young man. He’s very intelligent and, apart from that, he’s no-nonsense. He’s very disciplined. He had had no acting experience at all. I came over to New York to do wardrobe tests and we did a couple of scenes. I thought, Uh-oh, he’s just blah-blah-blah. Then after coming back to New York after a month and a half, I found he was totally different. He was extraordinary.

Q. How important is offscreen chemistry when you spend so much time onscreen with another actor?

A. It is important. In this case there was no problem. Of course I’ve been in films where I’ve had to work with people I really couldn’t communicate with. That’s something you try to avoid. It’s so important to feel you’re all together.

Q. What’s most distinctive about Stephen Daldry as a filmmaker?

A. He’s a marvelous director. I’d love to work with him again. He’s intelligent. He knows exactly how to communicate with actors. And he’s very encouraging. He has a great sense of humor, which is very important for directors - and for actors, of course. I’m sorry I haven’t worked with him on the stage. I’ve done so much theater in my life. When I started out as an actor, I didn’t really think of films at the time. You can see how things have gone.

Q. Do you think much about Bergman?

A. I do, I do, very often. He has been extraordinary for me personally and professionally. We worked together in so many films and so many stage productions. We spent so many hours together. It was a very exciting period of my life. I owe him so much, so much.

Q. You’ve been acting for six decades now. Does all that accumulated experience make things harder or easier?

A. It depends on what it’s all about. In the beginning I was looking all the time to do something different. Different was very important. Now I think simplicity is what’s most important. Just communicate with great simplicity.

Q. Do you ever think about your place in movie history?

A. I’ve been lucky because I’ve had opportunities. Thanks to Bergman, I’m sure, I’ve gotten a lot of those. I’ve gotten opportunities to play in interesting stories and work with interesting directors and, of course, interesting actors. It’s all a matter of opportunities. I’ve known so many great actors who never got the opportunity to have audiences see what they do or really be appreciated. I’ve been lucky. Yes, I’ve been lucky.

Q. Do you ever think about retiring?

A. Well, I am retired, but I jump out of retirement every now and then. When great possibilities come up, like this film, I do them. I’d be a fool not to.

Interview was condensed and edited. Mark Feeney can be reached at mfeeney@globe.com.

Contraband -- Ex-Smuggler Uses His Skills to Save His Family

You know Mark Wahlberg has skills in action movies. So, why did I worry when I saw the fair review in one of the big media magazines? Pronounced hokey and unoriginal in short, I am pleased to tell you that the story is exciting. Not an altogether original premise, there’s a solid cast, humor, lots of action, twists, turns, and suspense to the end. My rating: $7.50 (1.-10.).

Chris Farraday (Wahlberg - ‘The Fighter’/‘The Lovely Bones’), a family man with 2 wonderful boys, has a successful security business and beautiful wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale - ‘Underworld’). Kate has a baby brother, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones - Banshee in ‘X-Men: First Class), who’s a screw-up kinda guy. He’s smuggling dope and dumps it into the ocean when their ship is boarded by the Coast Guard. He’s also stupid enough to think the dope’s owners would understand.

Giovanni Ribisi (‘Avatar’/‘The Rum Diary’) plays Tim, the enforcer. Chris, Tim, and Chris’s best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster who specializes in bent characters - ‘The Mechanic’), grew up together along with Tim’s older (now dead) brother. Chris and his crew are legendary smugglers. But, no matter their history, Tim not only refuses to work with Chris to repay the worth of the dope, he threatens to come after Chris’s family even if Andy dies. He leaves Chris no choice but to come out of retirement to get the money through a fairly complex scheme that involves getting a job on a freighter, buying fake money, and getting it back into the U.S. to sell on the black market. Nothing ever goes exactly as planned. And, that’s what makes this movie a fast paced roller coaster ride.

Lucas Haas (‘Inception’) costars as Chris’s friend, Nash, another smuggler who has just married and goes along as a favor to his old friend. One of my favorite blusterers, J.K. Simmons (‘The Closer’/‘Spiderman), is the freighter’s Captain who knows and hates Chris from past encounters. There are several supporting actors who make up the rest of Chris’s crew from the freighter, in Panama, and all along the way back home. One of my favorite bad guys, Scottish actor David O’Hara (‘Cowboys and Aliens’), plays the mobster who’s at the top of the food chain -- a mobster with ethics.

Kate Beckinsale gets to be the victim of the men in her life. She insists Chris save her brother then complains when he has to smuggle to do it. Yet, she holds the home front in spite of being used as leverage to keep Chris in line a couple of times. She’s eye candy mostly.

Everyone gets what they deserve in the end.

Adapted from an Icelandic film called, ‘Reykjavik-Rotterdam‘ written by Amaldur Indrioason and Oskar Johnasson. Promising newcomer to screenwriting, Aaron Guzikowski, adapted the script for American screens. Guzikowski is still a youngster from Massachusetts who attended film school in New York. I can’t wait to see what else he has coming up.

Director (45 year-old) Baltasar Kormakur starred in and produced the Icelandic version. He’d well known in Icelandic films and should do well here.

‘Contraband’ is rated ‘R’ and runs about 1 hour 50 minutes. It’s fun, fast, and fascinating just how everything works out in the end. Not a movie for small kids or impressionable youngsters. The violence is in the gun fights and bloody victims......oh, and home invasions.

Joyful Noise -- Talented Church Choir Rises Above Small Town Turmoil

If you want an alternative to shooting and demons, do I have a movie for you! The story is totally different from that other famous neighborhood choir from ‘Sister Act’. However, we get the same reworking of some of the most popular, current love songs done with a gospel tilt. The voices of Dolly Parton, Queen Latifa, Keke Palmer, and newcomer Jeremy Jordan top a cast that’s fun, quirky, and just plain likable. My rating: $7.75 (1.-10.).

Synopsis: A small town, Pacashau, Georgia (if memory serves) has hit hard times. Almost everyone is unemployed or nearly unemployed. There’s one wealthy couple that supports the (seemingly) only church in town run by Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance). The amazingly, totally racially blended congregation boasts the best voices in the state. They reach the Regional gospel singing competition every, single year........only to lose to more showy choirs.

When the choir’s director, Barnard Sparrow (75 year-old Kris Kristofferson), dies of a heart attack in the first five minutes, the pastor backs the more conservative, Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah), as director. Turns out that the Sparrows are the wealthy couple who support the church --- the town, too, for that matter. G.G. Sparrow (Dolly Parton) is none too pleased to be passed over although she tries to be accepting. Total opposites, Vi Rose is a single mother of two teens, one with high functioning autism. G.G., on the other hand, lives in a mansion and never leaves the house without her hair, clothes, and makeup just so (which is Dolly Parton in real life).

Along comes Randy (Jeremy Jordan), the “bad boy” grandson of G.G. from the daughter who left town and never looked back. Randy has liked Olivia, Vi Rose’s daughter (Palmer) since they were kids and he told her to eat goldfish “cuz that’s how you get little goldfish”. It’s quickly apparent that Vi Rose has a chip or two on her shoulder in regards to Randy and men in general. Young love is hard to squelch....but she does a pretty good job. Olivia tries to abide by mom’s wishes and looks miserable the whole movie --- it was kind of depressing after awhile.

There are a few scenes of misbehavior. Randy takes Olivia dancing at a club one night -- yeah, don’t get hung up on how they got in. Another young man comes on to Olivia and is shut down by Randy. The daggers the other kids’ eyes shoot tell us there’s gonna be trouble. And, there’s a little fistfight out at the quarry -- nothing to worry about. Uh huh, I was thinking there’d be guns and gangs. Wrong movie.

Randy also takes Olivia for an overnight road trip to see her father, Marcus, played the very handsome Jesse L. Martin (Det Ed Green on ‘Law and Order’). She learns the real story about mom and dad -- it certainly didn’t help the miserable look on her face. Parton gets to be the wise, country grandma with all the platitudes we’re used to hearing from her -- in high heels with a 24 inch waist. She and Vi Rose have several differences of opinion that are fun to watch. Vi Rose’s troubles by far outshine anyone else’s and are the only thing (besides her daughter’s misery) that really gets old before it gets fixed.

I have to make special mention of Dexter Darden who plays Vi Rose’s autistic son, Walter. His is an EXCELLENT portrayal of a handi-capable individual who is so much more than his diagnosis. The relationship between Walter and Randy is superb -- and definitely gives away that Randy is NOT so bad.

One of the funniest secondary storylines is Earla (Angela Grovey - ’30 Rock’) who finds fellow choir member, Mr Hsu (pronounced ‘Sue’ and played by Francis Jue - Dr. Fong on ‘Law and Order: SVU), has a crush on her. Ok, an Asian man with the deepest southern drawl is so obvious but still so funny!! Where they go with this relationship is probably the most imaginative. Earla almost steals the funny clear away from her combative choir-mates.

No matter the story, you should go for the music. Rearranged lyrics to popular songs like ‘Man in the Mirror’ will uplift you whether your religious or not. The infectious voices of Palmer and Jordan never get tiring, I could have listened far longer. Parton and Latifa both get a turn at a solo - Latifa sings ‘Fix Me, Jesus’, a soulful but repetitive “prayer” song and Parton gets to sing her original “From Here to the Moon and Back”. To me, it was pretty obvious these solo’s were written specifically into the story. I got over it. 
The final competition scene is beautiful.

Writer/director Todd Graff, is no stranger to hokey but heartwarming comedies having written ‘The Beautician and the Beast’ as well as the teen musical ‘Bandslam’. Although a little heavy-handed with Latifa’s character, the movie still makes a positive statement.

OK, think what you might of my next statement: The BEST, BEST, BEST, thing about ‘Joyful Noise’ is the racial mix and that there is NO (as in NONE) racial mention. NO redneck making some slur. NOBODY has to learn a lesson about loving people of different color, creed, or ethnicity. YEAH!!!!! Everyone gets along as people, humans, equals......you get my drift? Such a refreshing thing rarely ever seen anywhere.

At 117 minutes, ‘Joyful Noise’ has plenty of time to balance music and drama. It’s rated ‘PG-13’ but there’s nothing to offend. Hallelujah!!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- Murder, Mystery, and Perversion with a Swedish Twist

Author, Stieg Larsson, Swedish journalist and investigative writer, died prematurely in 2004 at the age of 50. He had modest success in the political arena, wrote some non-fiction, and held a great interest in science fiction. His greatest body of work, however, would ultimately be a trio of books published after his death about a misfit young woman with a genius ability to investigate anyone or anything for money or for personal reasons. Twenty-six year-old Rooney Mara (gypsy in ‘Sherlock Holmes’) breathes life into this very complicated character and makes her shine among some of the top European stars of our time. It’s deep and dark.....and fascinating. My rating: $7.50 (1.-10.).

I have the book. I can’t seem to get past the first 50 pages. From what I’ve read, the movie follows very closely with the book. Daniel Craig plays the central character, Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist of note who, at the very start, has just been found guilty of libeling an industrialist with false reporting. His reputation and life savings are ruined after being set up with false information.

Blomkvist is soon called for private hire to a rival industrialist, Henrik Vanger, who promises the dirt on his rival in exchange for solving a mystery in Vanger’s own family. Christopher Plummer plays the patriarch of the very private and shady family. His teenage niece disappeared decades before with a secret she never revealed. Blomkvist agrees to take the case but requires an assistant. That’s how “the girl with the dragon tattoo”, Lisbeth Salander, comes into play.

She’s a loner, goth dress and facial piercings, spiky black hair, prickly personality, and distrustful of most men. But, she’s never met a computer she can’t hack. A social services issue has all her assets under the control of the state. She’s treated sort of like a parolee with regular and required counseling by a court-appointed guardian. She works doing investigative work but doesn’t make enough to be independent, as far as I could tell. When her original counselor has a stroke, she’s assigned just the most disgusting pervert who gives us the most disturbing and graphic rape scene I’ve ever seen in a movie.

Back on the Vanger’s private island, all the family members raise their (some) ugly heads for Blomkvist’s inquiry. We get enough info to suspect everyone except the really old people. I truly had no idea watching the movie about all the psycho-sexual problems that have their roots in the family’s tangled roots. I can’t say, therefore, that the story is well-written because I was in the dark or poorly written because I was in the dark. I’m rather in favor of the first idea (and not that I’m just not bright enough!!).

Robin Wright plays Blomkvist’s publishing partner and married lover -- all in a “civilized” fashion with her husband accepting it. Joely Richardson (Redgrave niece/granddaughter - ‘Anonymous’) plays the estranged Anita Vanger. Stellan Skarsgard (‘Mama Mia’ and Alexander’s dad) plays Martin Vanger, close son to Henrik and one of the more friendly Vanger family members. Goren Visnjic (‘ER’) has a small part as the discreet security advisor who finds Lisbeth. He’s looking even better now than he did in ‘Practical Magic’.

About as far from James Bond as you can get is Daniel Craig as Blomkvist. He’s vulnerable, smart but not as sharp as Lisbeth, and is much more wrinkly than on movie posters. Being Swedish, Blomkvist fluidly steps into a relationship with Lisbeth. He still looks good without a shirt. The gentle opening of the closed Lisbeth is palpable on screen and certainly well done.

The complex ending is described in a detailed confession at the end --- thankfully, or I’d still be confused. The full confession doesn’t disappoint.

Steven Zaillian was tapped to adapt the book into this compelling screen story. Theis talented man wrote the likes of ‘Moneyball’, ‘Schindler’s List’, ‘Gangs of New York’, ‘Hannibal’, and ‘Clear and Present Danger’. He’s a gold mine!! Can he write anything badly? Not with ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ now on his resume.

Be prepared to sit. This movie runs 2 hours and 40 minutes. It’s rated ‘R’ -- for real, no kids, please. In fact, the faint of heart will be deeply disturbed by much of the abuse that occurs. For those of you tired of holiday fare, this is your movie choice.

War Horse Benefit in London January 8, 2012

 I'm going to review this soon, folks.  In the meantime.....              

       WAR HORSE                                             

 

DREAMWORKS PICTURES’ “WAR HORSE” LoNDON PREMIERE

To BENEFIT THE FOUNDATION OF PRINCE WILLIAM and PRINCE HARRY 

 

BURBANK, CALIF. (December 22, 2011)–DreamWorks Pictures announced today that the premiere of its latest film “War Horse,” directed by Steven Spielberg, on Sunday, January 8, 2012, at the Odeon Leicester Square, London, will benefit the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be in attendance.

 

The Duke and Duchess will greet members of the cast and Director Steven Spielberg before watching the film. Six hundred serving and ex-serving military personnel and their families have been invited to the Premiere, alongside beneficiaries of military charities, which the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry helps to support. The servicemen and women have been invited from The Duke of Cambridge’s regiments, including RAF Search and Rescue, Household Cavalry, Irish Guards, Royal Air Force Coningsby, Scotland Royal Naval Command and Submarines Royal Naval Command. 

 

“War Horse,”  which opens in theatres in the U.S. on December 25^th, is the epic tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. Based on the best-selling book by Michael Morpurgo and the Tony Award®–winning stage play by Nick Stafford, “War Horse” is one of the great stories of bravery and friendship, brought to the screen by one of the greatest directors in film history.

 

The story begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land.  The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure.

 

Directed by Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Pictures’ “War Horse” stars Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Kebbell.  It is produced by Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, and executive producers are Frank Marshall and Revel Guest.  The screenplay was written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis and is based on the book by Michael Morpurgo and the international hit stage play by Nick Stafford, originally produced by the National Theatre of Great Britain and directed by Tom Morris and Marianne Elliot.

 

Footage and photos will be available immediately following the event. Footage will be on EPK.TV as well as via satellite.

 

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