Thursday, December 31, 2015
Slow West
This
movie came highly rated by critics. A well-bred son of a Scottish
Laird follows his lady-love to the American West. Ill-equipped to
deal with the Wild West he is totally out of his element. As one
crusty old codger cusses, “He's totally unmarked.” The movie
becomes a series of chase scenes on horseback as packs of cut-throats
and other blaggards follow because the gal and her father have a
price on their heads. There are no good guys here as the body count
mounts higher and higher. Novel that New Zealand stands in for the
Western US. The cinematography is fantastic.
Riders of the Purple Sage
Based on Zane Grey's book of the same name. The movie makes no
mention of the fact that most of the Characters are Mormons and the
plot that drives the storyline involves an avaricious “Brother”
who covets the land a single woman has inherited and woman ought not
to remain independent. The movie makes of this a range war in which
the body count piles ever higher and higher. And since most Westerns
are romances at heart count the gunslinger who rides in to rescue the
damsel in distress and the ranch hand who nurses the gal he shot as a
masked cattle rustler and falls in love. The DVD transfer is
full-screen which tends to waste the awesome scenery and the disk
offers one option only—PLAY.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Jurassic World
Jurassic
World is the franchise's fourth outing since number one made a CGI
sensation. It provides Chris Pratt with a star turn as an Alpha male
in an action movie. We first met him as the dumb jock in the TV
Series Everwood—all brawn and no brain. He gets to show off his
size and muscles here but also gets to show he has a mind as well. Of
course the real stars are the critters and once more they chew
through the scenery and the people on their island home. And of
course, as usual, there have to be children, here two brothers who
are central to the plot.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Unbroken
Once
more the dictum, read the book. The 30-minute supplement on the life
of Zamperini far outshines the actual movie. It seems to be the
fashion these days that a story cannot be told from beginning to end,
this one follows the fashion beginning in the middle and telling the
story through flashbacks.
It's
probably too much to ask of any actor that Jack O'Connell be a match
for the real Louis. The actors weight loss is one of the more
remarkable aspects of the piece, this is not the husky soldier of the
movie '71. However capturing the indomitable fire of the original is
beyond him. In the scenes with “the Bird” the actor playing him
looks boyish but fails to capture the sadistic delight that must have
characterized the original. At least I wasn't convinced.
Monday, December 28, 2015
The Maze Runner
The
Maze Runner is a fairly faithful big screen interpretation of the
book upon which it is based. As played it reminds me of Lord of the
Flies with its pack of boys divided into various gangs. Rather than
being marooned on an island these boys are trapped in a cage—the
Maze. Thomas played by Dylan O'Brien of Teen Wolf fame, is the odd
man out and the only name actor. Some liberties are taken in the end
stages but overall if you liked the book you should enjoy the movie.
As always, I'd prefer to read the book first. This is part one in a
three-part series. Part two is already out.
Justified, Final Season
Justified
is a guilty pleasure. Backwoods Kentucky Hicks specialize in brewing
shine and growing pot along with dispensing harder drugs. Raylan
Givens, the US Marshall with the quick gun hand would have grown up
here. The sophistication of the crime belies its humble setting. Even
the most dire warnings are couched in polite terms and said with a
smile. It is good to see a series concluded before the writers run
out of fresh ideas.
I am
not a particularly a fan of crime dramas, the attraction here is
great writing and superb acting. Timothy Oliphant stands tall and
nonchalant no matter what the circumstance. The ensemble cast that
surrounds him are equally good actors. The DVD version contains
subtitles but only one 5 minute extra, just the 15 episodes that
bring the show to its close.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Falling Skies Season Four
I
don't watch this because I'm particularly into Alien Invasion movies.
The attraction is Noah Wile and the actors who play his three boys:
Drew Roy, Connor Jessup, and Maxim Knight. The latter has literally
grown up on set and has now entered his teenage years. Despite the
challenges they face this is a family that exchanges hugs and truly
appears to care for one another. The two older brothers even engage
in fisticuffs when they both become attracted to the same girl.
Yes
there is plenty of action and the players wonder around with assault
rifles at their backs, people die, and things explode. There is even
a certain ick factor, but it is the interpersonal relationships that
drive the plot lines.
Monday, December 07, 2015
Badlands
When
this movie was made in 1972 Martin Sheen was a young pup, he reminds
me of James Dean in East of Eden. Were someone to walk around on
screen in a T-Shirt today they'd be expected to spend a few months
buffing up in the gym. Under Thomas Malick's direction he plays the
consummate cold-blooded killer who shoots without visible reaction
and appears to glory in his notoriety. Sissey Spacek, on the other
hand is all wide-eyed innocence. Save for a single slap she shows no
reaction to her partner's actions. All-in-all a rather nihilistic
performance all round.
