Review – Page 191 – We Are Movie Geeks

BACKTRACK Review

“Nothing haunts like the past.” It’s a catchy tag line that attempts to sum up writer and director Michael Petroni’s new film BACKTRACK, but there more to this mystery/thriller than can be summed up in a single breath. What begins as a moody drama about a troubled psychotherapist quickly reveals itself as a deeper tale of supernatural intervention into the darker underbelly of human nature.

Peter Bower, played with wrenching emotional finesse by Adrien Brody, is struggling with the loss of his daughter while barely holding together his practice and his marriage. Bower blames himself for his daughter’s death, while not entirely clear on what happened exactly. When not in sessions with his own patients, Bower seeks counsel from fellow psychotherapist Duncan Stewart, played by Sam Neill, which only leads Bower further down the twisted rabbit hole that will be come a truly unnerving revelation.

BACKTRACK is a ghost story of sorts, but at it’s core, the film is a highly internalized story of a man thrown up against his own emotions, his own inner demons, perhaps manifesting as tortured apparitions, or perhaps fueling an unwelcome opening in himself to another level of percieving the pain and grief that surrounds him on a daily basis. Whichever it is, the film merely suggests the possibility and leaves the audience to interpret the events as they unfold through our own filters.

The story truly shifts gears into an engaging, gripping mystery once a teenaged girl named Elizabeth Valentine shows up outside Bowers practice, unable or unwilling to speak. This sets Bowers off on a mission to understand driven by his own lack of certainty. From here, the energy and pacing of the film picks up and never lets the viewer go, pulling us in closer by a narrow thread, one tiny hand over another as we grow closer and closer to the morbid truth that awaits Bower.

BACKTRACK is an atmospheric film, shot with the visual tone to match the looming dread and sense of endless loss. The film looks dark and decayed, strangled of vibrant colors and replaced with a multitude of richly depressing shades of black, blue and gray. There is a gothic element to the film’s palette that maintains the tone, which is crucial as the film’s 90-minute running time doesn’t waste a beat after the initially slow but short opening sequence.

Sam Neill is splendid, as he usually is, but in a rather limited use. His character has minimal screen time, but serves as a crucial element in developing the plot, on a several psychological milestones for Bower as he pieces together the shattered puzzle that is his memory of what truly happened to spark the series of unfortunate events in which he finds himself involved. George Shevtsov provides an understated but impressive performance as Bower’s father, while Chloe Bayliss’ performance as Elizabeth Valentine is overshadowed by a slight overuse of questionably less than stellar special effects, but the level of distraction is minimal in comparison to the overall enjoyment of the film.

A particular achievement goes to the music in BACKTRACK from Dale Cornelius, providing a thick, robust injection of moody atmosphere to the film that truly sells the darkness. The score grabs the viewer by the ears and forces us to sit up and take notice right from the opening credits. It makes a statement, declaring something bad will happen and you do not want to miss out.

Michael Petroni draws on our innate human nature, or ingrained need to witness the horrible things that happen in others’ lives as if that somehow means our own lives will be immune of such tragedy. Petroni’s screenplay is definitely deserving of Brody’s committed intensity. While there is a temptation to over analyze the story as an extension of another previous film from 1999, I encourage the viewer to let that thought pass and remain open to the less superficial nature of BACKTRACK, which still carries some surprises of it’s own.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

BACKTRACK released in theaters and video on demand

on February 26th, 2016.

THE WAVE Review

If we were to take a little field trip 40 years or so back in time, we’d see a different type of blockbuster film dominating the big screen. Superheroes had not yet conquered Hollywood. Back then, Mother Nature was the big box office darling. From earthquakes and tsunamis to disastrous fires and devastating accidents, we wanted to see massive amounts of Avenger-scale destruction that only the elements could concoct.

Fast forward to present day and we now watch Thor and Hulk destroy cities in the name of the good fight. Even Godzilla has returned to the cinema to continue his rapturous reptilian rampage. Monsters and heroes are what we seek today, but what of the good ole days when Planet Earth herself was what we feared most? There have been the occasional attempts to bring back that old school tale of man versus nature. THE PERFECT STORM was a memorable outing and who can forget TWISTER?

Herein lies the dilemma. As an audience, we’ve become so desensitized to large-scale disasters on screen that they don’t feel real anymore. As we lose our taste, Hollywood feels the need to add more and more CGI and more insanely preposterous circumstances [a la THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW] in an effort to up the ante and draw us back into the mindless, adrenaline-fueled chaos. How far will our suspension of disbelief bend before breaking under the pressure of prolonged exposure to ridiculous premises?

I’ve said it once if not a hundred times. Regardless of the genre, a good film must have a decent story. I like my schlocky genre flicks as much, and likely more, that the next guy. There’s something to be said for movies so bad they’re good. On the other hand, that’s not a diet one can thrive on exclusively. So I ask, where are the fun genre films with story and character?

I would argue that THE WAVE is a prime example of a return to quality, story-driven disaster genre filmmaking. This Norwegian film (natively titled Bølgen) was directed by Roar Uthaug and combined the thrill of films like INTO THE STORM with a cautionary tale perspective more susceptible to storytelling techniques that keep the audience engaged in story and character, rather that what fantastical effects some talented nerd can conjure up in a computer suite.

THE WAVE touts all the intensity we’ve come to expect from a natural disaster film, but backs that up with a refreshingly unexpected level of scientific authenticity that makes the film more than just a popcorn-munching thrill ride. Uthaug slowly develops suspense based on a simple question in the viewer’s mind… when will the wave hit? At no point is the audience wondering if the wave will strike. The marketing and the title of the film itself assure us of the ultimate payoff.

No, what Uthaug delivers is the promise of the money shot, but only after we sit willingly through the first hour of he film. With this committed attention Uthaug provides a slow-burn drama, focused around one man amongst a small clutch of geologists responsible for monitoring and studying the mountain standing high above the tourist town of Geiranger, Norway. THE WAVE actually relies heavily on and even features scientific details both to enhance the drama and realism, but also in turn [like it or not] even educates us somewhat. Oh, God! Not that!

Get over it. Uthaug actually does a remarkable job with taking what many of us would otherwise probably write-off as another boring PBS science special and crafts an engaging commentary and how we can get too comfortable sitting at the top of the food chain and feel a bit invincible, all the while forgetting that our one natural predator is Mother Nature herself. Uthaug tells a story that has human and family drama, but that also calls us out on our tendency to get lazy and apathetic in the face of how much we know versus how much we admit to not knowing.

Kristoffer Joner plays Kristian, a geologist on his way out of his current position as he and his family prepare to relocate. During their preparation, he finds himself drawn back into the mountains hold as he struggles to shake an uneasy feeling that something is not right. Joner is in the drive’s seat of this film, as his persistence and conviction nudge the plot along amidst countless skeptics and naysayers until the boy who called wolf turns out to have telling the truth all along.

Ane Dahl Torp plays Idun, Kristian’s wife who works in the popular hotel on the water’s edge of the fjord that lies within the mountain’s shadow. Idun is eager for her family to move on and finds herself slightly impatient with Kristian’s reluctance to move on, but his gut tells him he’s needed in order to prevent a terrible disaster. While his efforts are valiant, once again, we know what the pay off is to be in THE WAVE, and it’s not watching it from a safe, dry distance. Seriously, I’m not spoiling anything.

While the first act of THE WAVE does take a bit of patience, it also develops some strong characters and introduces us to some basic science that is interesting, if not theoretically practical. It’s this attention to detail that adds to the film’s realism and believability. There are a few moments that scream typical genre fare, such as when they determine the large crevice in the mountain is contracting instead of expanding as they’d expected. Two of the geologists took this as an invitation to physically venture into the crevice for a closer inspection.

If this had been a horror movie, it would equate to the teenage jock responding to the blonde cheerleader hearing a strange noise by volunteering to go into the dark basement alone to check it out… and, we all know how that ends. Otherwise, the handful of other minimally questionable genre moments come during the catastrophic wave action in the final act of the film, but at this point we’ve delayed gratification so long that the payoff stands on it’s own, pleasantly underplayed CGI magnificence.

When it’s all over the the waters have cleared, THE WAVE stands tall amongst it’s predecessors, quite literally as the film’s antagonist is a massive 85-meter tall wall of rapidly-moving water propelled by the collapse of a mountainside into the fjord. If you’re a fan of the disaster genre, do yourself a solid and check out this very fluid, fresh take on a natural nightmare.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

THE WAVE opens in St. Louis on Friday, March 4th, 2016 exclusively at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre.

ZOOTOPIA – The Review

ZOOTOPIA is your basic, and very enjoyable, Disney anthropomorphic animal flick, an empowerment tale aimed at bright, dreamy girls that parents (and boys) will still have a lot of fun with. Even if Disney movies aren’t your cup of tea, and you think that there is no more to be said about talking critters, you may be surprised at ZOOTOPIA’s witty and pleasant approach.

The story takes place in the titular ‘Roger Rabbit’-like animal metropolis of Zootopia, a city comprised of habitat neighborhoods like Bunnyburrow, upscale Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown. It’s a melting pot of amicable existence among different animals, with prey and predator living together (more or less) in harmony. When headstrong rookie Officer Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers being the first bunny rabbit on Zootopia’s police force, comprised of much larger animals, isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a missing person (actually missing otter) case, even if it means partnering with motor-mouthed scam-artist fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) to solve the mystery.

While it breaks little ground in terms of animated kids films, the beautifully designed, brightly-hued ZOOTOPIA is breezier and bouncier than most. The animation work is dazzling, lovingly detailed without being overdone. I felt like I could reach out and pet these furry critters, especially in eye-popping 3D. Directors Rich Moore and Byron Howard exhibit admirable control over the material, maintaining a consistently chipper tone, upbeat tempo and bright visual aesthetic without devolving into a hyperactive, collection of gags. The vocal talent well-captures the story’s spirit especially boisterous J. K. Simmons as Mayor Lionheart (a lion, natch) and Jenny Slate as his sheep deputy. Miss Goodwin does a good job expressing the frustrations of Miss Hopps and Bateman is well-cast as Nick, a fox haunted by childhood trauma. Idris Elba is nicely acerbic as the mighty Police Chief Bogo (an ox), though I wish his role had been larger.

Still, in this post-Pixar age, it’s hard not to feel a tad underwhelmed by ZOOTOPIA. Though solid from beginning to end, the writers seem too intent on stuffing the film with warm and fuzzy, but ultimately stifling, lessons about diversity, prejudice, race relations, girl power, acceptance, bullying, etc, etc. While these are timeless themes, all woven together nicely by a crew of filmmakers from the Disney-Pixar trenches, they’re at the expense of big laughs. I’m all for positive values in kid’s films. INSIDE OUT was full of them, but it also had the kind of hearty gut-busters that brought me back for repeat viewings. Oddly, for a movie about tearing down stereotypes, ZOOTOPIA’s funniest gag (seen in the trailer) is a riff on one; everyone’s experience at the DMV, where slow-moving, sloth-like employees often make the experience interminable. ZOOTOPIA may not be perfection, but it’s still highly recommended.

4 of 5 Stars

GLASSLAND – The Review

There are a lot of good movies about alcoholism, that doesn’t make them easy to watch, by no means. The very idea of making a movie, an entertainment, about addiction, of any kind, if it’s done with any amount of honesty, can make for a grueling experience to watch.

Just from memory you have The Lost Weekend, Leaving Las Vegas, Shakes the Clown, Everything Must Go and the more recent Blue Jasmine with a pill popping, wine swilling woman in deep denial at its center.

I’m sure there are many more, all of these are worthwhile films. To this list you can definitely add Glassland, an independent movie from Ireland. What irony that a movie about alcoholism, and a good one at that, would come from Ireland. I’m Irish myself, and Ireland, much like countries such as Australia, Scotland, Japan and…the United States for that matter, seem to have drinking as part of the cultural fabric. I did my share of drinking in my time, being Irish I still enjoy a bottle of Guinness now and again.

I don’t think I ever got as carried away as Jean (Toni Collette) the mother of John (Jack Reynor) who lives in Dublin and who has to be taken care of by John mostly every day. John drives a cab and can barely make ends meet. His Mother drinks so much he has to come home to a sink full of dirty dishes, a home not cleaned, a Mother lying in her own sick, most often passed out in someone else’s doorway.

John has friend, Shane, (Will Poulter) who also lives with his Mother, they play video games, try to rent a dvd and give a hard time to the clerks who point out they owe some late fees. Shane has a son he never gets to see, John also has a brother Kit (Harry Nagle) who has Down’s Syndrome and lives in a group home. The actor appears to really have Down’s Syndrome which makes his brief performance all the more astonishing.

Jean swears she does not hate Kit and then proceeds to tell John exactly every reason why she does hate him. In a movie filled with painful moments Jean going on at some length about how she was repulsed and horrified when Kit was born, how she never wanted him and refuses to feel bad about it is incredibly painful, we want to look away but cannot.

In another painful moment John decides to drink with his Mother, to the tune of Tainted Love by Soft Cell, a bit obvious but it works. Collette nails the frustrating behavior of alcoholics who seem to think they are starring in their own movie and the drink is just a prop. We also see the side of Jean that makes John care about her and try his best to save her.

Toni Collette is that good, John really does love his Mother, but knows, even before a counselor tells him, that his Mother is killing herself, one drink at a time. John wants to get her into a rehab facility, but it costs money he does not have.

In a very mysterious turn of events John borrows money from “somebody” who directs him to “pick something up” in his cab. This leads him into what appears to be human trafficking. Asian women appear in his cab from time to time, he drives to a country house and is horrified by what he finds there. The movie spares us any details but remains oblique about what exactly is going on.

Despite that Glassland is an excellent film about a difficult, painful subject that has been covered before. Gerard Barrett’s direction is very straightforward. He lets the actors carry the story and both Collette and Reynor have moments of outright desperation and suffering that are tough to see, but very much worth it. The Irish accents are a bit difficult to understand at times but I would give Glassland three and a half out of four stars.

GODS OF EGYPT – The Review

GODS OF EGYPT is the kind of film that looks like it started out with blockbuster ambitions. With a big name cast that features “Game of Thrones” star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler (“300”), Chadwick Boseman (“42”) and Geoffrey Rush, plus pretty Elodie Yung, and some very expensive-looking visual effects, GODS OF EGYPT seeks to draw on Egyptian mythology to create an action/adventure epic. Unfortunately, this plodding, overweight snoozer never gets off the ground, due to a remarkably dull, confusing script that mixes a little “Thief of Baghdad,” a classic hero plot-line and bits and pieces of Egyptian myth with some remarkably bad dialog, into a hot mess that is more Gordian knot than classic epic.

Director Alex Proyas has created a silly, overblown would-be epic that might stand as an example of bad film-making – or at least boring film-making. Brenton Thwaites plays Bek, a “Thief of Baghdad” type character, who finds himself on a quest with the god Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who has been deposed on the verge of being crowned king of Egypt by his jealous uncle, the god Set (Gerard Butler). In this Egypt, there are no pharaohs and the gods themselves rule and live among mortals, one of several strange things in this movie fantasy universe. Other Egyptian deities join in this would-be saga of a royal coup, such as Thoth (Chadwick Boseman), Hathor (Elodie Yung) and Ra (Geoffrey Rush).

Confused? Not how you remember Egyptian history or myth? Sometimes, this kind of pseudo-historical epic can be saved by clever, funny dialog and charismatic characters. Sadly, neither comes to the rescue here. Despite some good actors in the cast (Geoffrey Rush, for heaven’s sake), they mostly overact under Proyas’ direction, mouthing the script’s nonsensical dialog. But mostly the script is to blame. Although GODS OF EGYPT has more actual Egyptian legend than one expects, it is mashed-up with so much other stuff in a goofy quest tale that even an expert in Egyptian myths would have trouble sorting it out.

The dazzling, golden special effects are sure to lure a few viewers, and the hero tale story seems a perfect draw for preteens, the audience most likely to enjoy this movie. But the movie’s confusing mix of Egyptian gods and myth, rambling plot and lack of effective comic relief might lose even those few.

This film is not one of those “so bad it’s good” movies. No, it is just bad. Rather than laughing at it, one is more likely to nod off, except it is too noisy to do that. This is the kind of movie that makes one want to just leave after about five minutes.

There is nothing to redeem this one, not even the lavish visual effects. Be warned: GODS OF EGYPT is likely to strike you down, with overwhelming boredom, an urge to cringe and a profound regret at spending actual money to see this big-budget turkey.

GODS OF EGYPT Opens Friday, February 26 everywhere

OVERALL RATING: 1 OUT OF 5 STARS

A WAR – The Review

Like A HIJACKING, Danish writer/director Tobias Lindholm’s previous film, A WAR has a deceptively simple title for a film that a complex, very human drama. In this film, Denmark’s entry for the Foreign-language Oscar, Lindholm does not address the idea of war itself but instead explores the soldier’s experience of it, in a neutral yet unblinking way.

A WAR is a gripping, tense film, focused on the very human drama at its core and the complex moral choices the characters face, while avoiding any hint of melodrama. In particular, “A War” looks at the moral choices made by one Danish commander in Afghanistan. The choices are made with the best intentions but with unforeseen and tragic results, as he tries to balance what is right for his men, Afghan civilians, and even in his own family back home in the fog of war. It is a film about grief, guilt, responsibility, and the contrast between snap decisions made in the heat of war and the cool assessment of those decisions back home.

Company commander Claus Pedersen (Pilou Asbaek) is the leader of a Danish unit fighting in Afghanistan, along with his second-in-command Najib Bisma (Dar Salim), a close friend from the military academy. Back home, his wife Maria (Tuva Novotny) is struggling to cope with their three children, one of whom is misbehaving at school in response to his father’s absence. In Afghanistan, Pedersen is concerned about the morale of his men after the death of one soldier, and decides to start accompanying them on missions, which unit commanders rarely do. Pedersen is a man with a strong sense of responsibility, who is close to his men and sensitive to the strain they experience in war. His commitment to do his best for them may cloud his judgment and, with the best of intentions, Pedersen makes a decision in battle that is either the right moral choice or a war crime, depending on how one views it. The decision saves the life of one of his soldiers but costs the lives of several civilians,which results in Pedersen being recalled to Denmark to face a courtroom trial, and a new set of moral and ethical dilemmas.

Using handheld photography and a documentary-like approach, A WAR plays out with all the edge-of-your seat tension of a war film and a courtroom thriller, while intelligently tackling issues faced on the battlefield and at home during wartime. Lindholm navigates this difficult territory with great skill and sensitivity, but also with stark honesty, focusing on the personal view of the soldier, without expressing either support or disapproval of the long-running war. Like A HIJACKING, A WAR avoids painting choices in simple black-and-white and handles difficult, real-life moral choices in a sensitive manner, while delivering taut drama and an engrossing film.

Focusing on the taut drama of the situation and the emotions of the characters, the director is carefully non-judgmental, leaving the audience to decide. Although Pedersen is on trial for these civilian deaths, ironically, he made an earlier decision as commander which also cost civilian lives. In that decision, the commander chose to follow the rules of engagement but the result was also a devastating outcome in human terms.

A WAR reunites writer/director Lindholm with A HIJACKING actors Pilou Asbaek (also billed as Philip Asbaek) and Dar Salim. The gifted cast is one of the strengths of the film, and all turn in strong but subtle performances. In the lead role, Asbaek skillfully creates a character who is wholly believable as a basically good man grappling with difficult choices. Salim, an Iraqi-Danish actor who served in the Royal Guard, brings both a warmth as Pedersen’s friend and a convincing military precision as his second-in-command. Salim’s military experience helps add the the film’s strong sense of authenticity, but Lindholm further strengthened that by extensive research and collaboration with Danish soldiers who served in Afghanistan.

A WAR is an emotionally powerful film, a thought-provoking, intelligent film which looks at both the challenges in the field and at home during wartime.

A WAR in Danish with English subtitles, opens Friday, Feb. 26, at Plaza Frontenac Cinema

OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON – The Review

2015 may just be noted in the annals of cinema history as the year that Hollywood really went “space happy” (a more benign term for “space madness” I suppose). THE MARTIAN, a fairly fact-based film (though we’ve not gone to the “red planet”) won critical praise and was a box office smash. We’ll see if it takes home some Oscar gold this Sunday night. And of course there’s that space fantasy, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, that smashed several records and is still in the box office top ten nearly ten weeks after its release. The studios have mined the stars since the beginnings of movies over a 100 years ago. The great majority of these films are fictitious, with a couple of notable exceptions being the overlooked gem from the 80’s, THE RIGHT STUFF, and the 90’s nail-biter APOLLO 13 (and its HBO companion mini-series “From the Earth to the Moon”). TV cable channels along with PBS have presented many interesting documentaries about the space race, but few have gotten the full theatrical treatment. This new feature-length doc gives us another look at that time, one from the perspective of one of the still living heroes of exploration: Eugene Cernan, perhaps best known as THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON.

As the film begins, we observe an octogenarian (a very spry one) looking over prized steers and then taking in a bull-riding competition. We soon learn that this cowboy is actually Captain Eugene Cernan, as he then walks about the near-deserted Johnson Space Center. Soon he’s back at his ranch, setting out feed for his own cattle, his two dogs always at his side. He talks of his on upbringing, working on his grandfather’s meager farm. Photos are displayed of Cernan growing up and entering the Navy. An old fighter pilot pal joins him for a barbecue. Color photos and home movie footage of their younger days flash past. Then we hear of Cernan’s entry into the space program with footage of the grueling training exercises with nausea inducing contraptions. His former wife speaks of the his many hours, stretching into weeks, away from their home. Cernan examines the space modules and capsules now on display at different museums. Retired mission commanders and techs talks of the wonders and the dangers. Then we’re with Cernan aboard Apollo 17 for that final flight. But his work didn’t end there as we see, the former astronaut attends conventions (lots of handshakes and photos), does radio interviews, and travels the world in an effort to re-ignite the dying embers of the US space program, a task that would wear down men half his age. But as he tries to inspire a passion for exploration in new generations, we see the “space cowboy” enjoying more time for his ever-expanding family.

Director and co-screenwriter Marc Craig knows that Cernan makes for an entertaining guide through history and wisely allows him to tell his stories with few distractions. The scenes of the celebrated hero silently inspecting the sights of his former glories have a quiet power to them. Happily the film has more than its share of lighter moments. The wonderful family photos and films give the doc a nice “Mad Men” feel (Cernan along his pals and their gals are shown playing the infamous board game “Twister”). Particularly entertaining is a sequence utilizing whimsical retro animation (think CATCH ME IF YOU CAN) to illustrate the undercover astronaut job search. Most of the interviews are of the “talking head” standard, but the subjects are legendary: Apollo 13’s Jim Lovell and mission control marvels Gene Kranz and Christopher Kraft. Especially powerful are the unedited network news feeds (mostly from ABC) when the story tells of the tragic loss of Gus Grissom and his crew. But the film truly soars with the flight of Apollo 17. Craig and his team expertly marry the NASA footage with superb recreations (perhaps a mix of seamless CGI and miniatures with actors). The lush music scored by Lorne Balfe (TERMINATOR GENISYS) compliments each compelling image. Despite the majestic spectacle, Craig never lets us forgot the film’s heart, the remarkable Mr. Cernan, who enjoys recalling his legacy while moving on and looking ahead. He’s proud of the title, but you get the feeling that he hopes that he won’t be THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON. Here’s wishing that his hard work and memories send out an eager new generation of explorers.

4.5 Out of 5

THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON opens in select cities on February 26 and is available via iTunes and other streaming services

EDDIE THE EAGLE – The Review

Last week I said we’d be back at the Olympics, and indeed this week’s new release puts us back in the cheering section as another young man hopes to make his dreams of gold come true. While RACE focused on American track legend, Jesse Owens, this time out we’re looking back on a British athlete, not from the Summer games but the Winter spectacle. Oh, and it’s during a less controversial era. Owens was pressured not to attend those 1936 games that were often used as a propaganda tool by Hitler. In 1988 no such pressures were brought to bear on this new film’s title hero. And while Owens also had to break past racial barriers, Michael Edwards (his birth name) faced a rigid class system and beurocrats determined to keep him out of competition. But in this “feel good” flick Michael’s determination earns him the nickname EDDIE THE EAGLE.

While growing up in Cheltenham, England during the 1970’s, the scrawny and bespectacled ‘Eddie’ Edwards had but one goal: to compete in the Olympics. His attempts at different sports (pole vaulting, high jump, etc.) usually ended with a trip to the family doctor and another pair of broken eye glasses (collected in his “medal storage” tin box). But his Mum (Jo Hartley) encouraged his dreams while Dad (Tim McInnererny) grumbled. Entering his teen years, Eddie (Taron Egerton) decided that the Winter games would be his best bet. After his tenure with the downhill skiing time proved a bust (the awkward Eddie could never really fit in), he was ready to join pop in his home remodeling business as a plasterer. But then he was enthralled by a televised ski jump competition. And it turns out that England hasn’t a ski jump champion. Eddie gets a great deal of resistance from the Olympic committee, but after he’s given a (nearly impossible) list of requirements he boards a bus to a middle European ski resort in order to train. Veteran jumpers from other countries mock him, but Eddie gets right back up after every crash and stumble. This attracts the attention of the resort maintenance man Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman). Many years ago, Peary’s try at the gold was ended by his hard-partying lifestyle, which also began a long estrangement with his coach, the iconic Warren Sharp (Christopher Walken). Peary warns Eddie that he’ll break his neck, but the young man needs a coach and pleads with the boozing, burnt-out skier. Seeing a glint of his former self and hoping for a sense of redemption, Peary agrees. Soon the duo are headed all across the land, entering different meets and competitions, in order to fulfill the committee’s list and earn a slot at the upcoming 1988 Calgary Winer Olympic Games.

Egerton shows great versatility in his first starring role since his big screen breakthrough in last year’s hit, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE. In that flick, he was quite believable as a reluctant action hero, but he’s even better as the child-like innocent (just watch him blush at the advances of the sultry chalet manager) wannabe’ Olympian. His skills help veer the family scenes with the excellent Hartley and McInnerny away from saccharine towards naturally warm and endearing. Eddie’s social awkwardness can often be painful to watch, but this makes him more of an inspiring underdog. Egerton conveys that stubborn determination while also showing us the doubt and fear thorough the glasses and goggles. He knows that every jump could be his last, but forges ahead despite his initial hesitations (nearly getting him disqualified at one meet). This is a performance that carries us past any sports movie clichés and establishes Egerton as a star on the rise. Happily he has great rapport with his on- screen coach as Jackman looks to be enjoying a break from superheroics playing the grizzled mentor. His jaded wisecracks and barbs attempt to temper Eddie’s often reckless enthusiasm, but soon we see Jackman slowly regain the gleam in his eyes as the light from Eddie’s pure heart pushes away Peary’s dark demeanor. The two are a terrific team and Walken’s subtle cameo role (with a great reunion with his lost student) makes them a pretty great trio.

Actor Dexter Fletcher treads a cinematic tightrope in this, his third feature directing gig. In a tale full of eccentric antics, he never lets the finished film become annoyingly cute or unbearably cloying. Eddie’s a nice guy alright, but in his sports mania he can become a bit of a pill. And beside the perils of the actual jump, he also must survive the crushing embrace of the media, as reporters feast on the “eagle’ phenomenon. Though screenwriters Sean Macauley and Simon Kelton rely on composite and completely fictional supporting characters (there’s no Peary?!), they make the story more than merely a checklist of accomplishments. And the subtle score from Matthew Margeson never hammers the film’s emotional beats, unlike most swelling, uplifting tunes from typical sports flicks. Kudos to the art direction for getting the 70’s and 80’s looks just right ,from the fashions to gadgets (lots of VHS tapes for Eddie to study). Through free of the historical drama that dominates RACE, this inspirational heart-tugger will still resonate with anyone who’s had to prove themselves after getting doors slammed on their dreams. Families of film (and sports) fans will have a fun flight with EDDIE THE EAGLE.

4 Out of 5

TRIPLE 9 – The Review

Violent, profane, ambitious, pretentious, overcooked and entertaining as hell, director John Hillcoat’s TRIPLE 9 presents a wide canvas of memorable characters for a satisfying urban crime drama. Michael Atwood (Chiwetel Ejiofor) leads a crew of dirty Atlanta cops and ex-cops (Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, and Clifton Collins Jr.) working for the “Kosher Nostra”, a mob of Russian Jews led by dragon lady Irina Vlaslov (Kate Winslet), who operate out of a meatpacking plant. The crooked cops are introduced pulling off an ultra-efficient bank heist for Irina, but she withholds payment until they execute another job – one she’s convinced will help spring her husband from the Russian Gulag (held there just because “Putin so fears him”) . Michael has a son with Irina’s sexy younger sister Elena (Gal Gadot), who he won’t see again unless he cooperates, so he convinces his team to break into a Homeland Security safe house, a nearly impossible mission. Michael concludes the only way to pull it off successfully is to create a 999, police code for “officer down”, as a distraction to buy them time to pull off their caper. The plan goes awry when Chris Allen (Casey Affleck), the innocent cop they set up to murder, refuses to be sacrificed, resulting in an action-packed third act complete with greedy double-crosses and bloody payback.

There’s plenty that’s familiar in TRIPLE 9 and there are portions that don’t work so well, but adrenalin junkies will appreciate the blistering pace and the careful sense of desperado tension. Hillcoat’s film is distinguished by a series of pulse-pounding dread-fueled scenes that leave the viewer perched on the edge of their seat — the tense opening bank robbery, a carefully planned police raid that quickly spirals out of control, a rolling gun battle, and three heads on the hood of a car – the result of a brutal gang execution. One major reason why I found TRIPLE 9 to be so effective is its complete messiness–there are neither tidy resolutions nor easy payoffs as the initially grim makes way for the even grimmer and almost no character is left off the hook. That all falls in line with what Hillcoat and writer Matt Cook obviously set out to do, which is to paint with grimy authenticity a warts-and-all portrait of cops and criminals and cops who are criminals. Hillcoat and Editor Dylan Tichenor do a great job of maintaining pace and suspense throughout and the remarkable cast helps to bring this sprawling web of nastiness to another level. Aaron Paul and Norman Reedus are excellent as desperate brothers, though Walking Dead fans may be disheartened at how soon their hero is dispatched. Collins Jr. and Ejiofor are especially noteworthy, and Woody Harrelson is outstanding as a drug-abusing good cop. Teresa Palmer as Chris’ wife and Gal Gadot are little more than window dressing but they both look great from behind while Casey Affleck’s performance grounds the story by making us care about the story’s single uncorrupted character. The one glaringly theatrical note is struck by a hammy Kate Winslet as the ballbusting Russian mobstress, but it’s a fun performance highlighted by repellent behavior and bright red high heels.

Whatever one’s reaction to the darkness and grit, it’s a shame that Hillcoat can’t quite maintain the film’s momentum. He effectively keeps TRIPLE 9 moving to its climactic bloodbath, which turns out to be a predictable chain of killings and not much else. The film calls to mind the nihilistic cop stories of director Antoine Fuqua such as TRAINING DAY and BROOKLYN’S FINEST with its tour through the seamy side of contemporary urban America but there is also a strong sense of the 1970s’ about it as it references the gritty police dramas of that decade, especially those from director Sidney Lumet, for its inspiration, pouring on all the realism and downbeat atmosphere movies of that era pioneered. It’s a style that suits Hillcoat and his actors well and TRIPLE 9 is recommended.

4 of 5 Stars

RACE (2016) – The Review

Hollywood knows that one genre is almost certain to get the audience’s blood pumping and pulse racing: the sports story. CREED certainly proved that a few months ago (you’d think audiences were watching a real live boxing match, judging from the all the cheering at the multiplex). Couple that on-screen excitement with a dramatic true story, and you’ve hopefully got a critical and box office hit. And while professional sports may be tainted and tarnished thanks to bad behavior and big bucks, the amateur athletes still have a purity and nobility about them. There have been plenty of college (WE ARE MARSHALL), high school (HOOSIERS), and even grade school (THE BAD NEWS BEARS) team tales, but for individual triumphs, the four-year spectacle, the Olympics, abound in stories of glory and drama. Well 2016 just so happens to be an olympic year, so the studios are launching the first of several such true tales of courage today. Next week I’ll be back with a charming, funny film fable from the 1988 Winter games, and in March we’ll get a raunchy fictional comedy set in that competitive backdrop. But for now, we travel all the way back to 1936, eighty years,for a film whose title has a double meaning: RACE.

The focus of RACE is the incredible story of that track and field wonder, African-American icon Jesse Owens (Stephan James). We meet him as he prepares to enroll at Ohio State University. Jesse packs his suitcase, dresses in his best (and only) suit, and says his goodbye to his family in their crowded rundown apartment in the slums of Cleveland. Ohio. And he also bids adieu to his longtime gal, beautician Ruth (Shanice Banton) and their two-year old (out-of-wedlock) daughter Gloria. Arriving on campus, he heads to the office of track and field coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis) to become part of the college team. Despite their awkward first meeting, Snyder is impressed by Owens’s school records and helps him land a part-time job as he trains him for the upcoming Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor (all while dealing with the rampant racism in the sports department). When Jesse breaks three world records(within an hour), his dreams of Olympic gold begin. Meanwhile in New York City, the United States Olympic Committee is engaged in a heated debate about the upcoming Summer games in Berlin, Germany. Jeremiah Mahoney (William Hurt) is horrified at the actions of Chancellor Adolf Hitler and believes the US should boycott the games, while Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons) believes that the Olympics should put politics aside. It is decided that Avery will travel to Berlin and check out the atmosphere there. Meanwhile Jesse begins a fling with a nightclub regular, Quincella (Chantel Riley), that threatens to end his relationship to Ruth and derail his sports career. Luckily he gets his priorities straight while German officials assure Avery that all will be in order (this after he observes their brutal treatment of the Jewish community), and is introduced to the film maker that will chronicle the games, Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten) for the feature film OLYMPIA. But will the local organizers keep their promises of “fair play” when Jesse and the rest of the American team arrive in Berlin?

As Owens, Stephan James projects strength and determination helping us comprehend the real man’s incredible achievements. Through his eyes and body language we see how this gifted man had to temper himself while navigating through a society that embraced his accomplishments while denigrating him for his color. Even as he takes a walk on the wild side with his “jazz baby” temptress, James still goes us a hero that we can applaud (the dalliance makes him more human) despite his foibles. Sudeikis breaks free of his motor-mouthed, wise guy comic persona as Coach Snyder. He’s a man of deep regret (we learn during a terrific monologue) who vows to guide Owens to fulfill the promise that Snyder himself squandered. All the while he becomes a surrogate father to Owens, one who bristles and barks back at the ignorant while Owens must remain silent. Irons as Brundage is all businessman as the sight of Nazi brutality disgusts him. His admiration for the Olympic ideals too often blinds him to the injustices behind the scenes. Ultimately, he submits too easily. Hurt shines in a role that is basically a cameo (despite the billing in the ads), his Mahoney knows that Hitler only wishes to use the games to glorify and promote his own agenda. Ms. van Houten, like James, is determined not to let her hard work and talents be exploited. Though Goebbels and his goons try to thwart her, Leni wants to tell the whole story with no filters.

Director Stephens Hopkins does a good job at keeping the story coherent while maintaining a steady pace. Unfortunately the script from Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel attempts to tell too many tales at once, any of which could have been made into separate movies. There’s the whole debate within the committee, the wheeling and dealing between Germany and Brundage, and certainly the making of OLYMPIA could make for interesting films. The constant interruptions detract from the Owens story. It doesn’t help that we only meet him after his teenage years, which doesn’t tell us just how his running and jumping prowess began (plus there’s the whole romance with Ruth plus their then scandalous behavior) . And aside from a brief mid credit scene, we don’t see Owens’s life after the gold medals (we know he’s part of a great joke in BLAZING SADDLES, but …). The 1930’s are expertly recreated with vintage fashions and autos, while CGI convincingly places us next to Jesse inside that massive studium with thousands looking down. Plus those track performances (especially the long jump) are inspiring in their visual power. Fewer subplot negotiations and more athletics would have made RACE as light on its feet as the miraculous Mr. Owens himself.

3 Out of 5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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OVERALL RATING: 1 OUT OF 5 STARS

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OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

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