Trance

British director Danny Boyle’s latest creation is a mind-blowing heist movie in the world of hypnotherapy. Our story concerns a selling agent of fine-art named Simon (James McAvoy) who works at a prestigious auction house just like Sotheby’s but not Sotheby’s. Some thieves led by crime boss Franck (Vincent Cassel) attempt to steal Francisco Goya’s Witches in the Air after being sold for $27 million. Simon, who is actually in cahoots with the criminals, attempts to double cross his cohorts and hide the artwork for himself. But he suffers a blow to the skull in the ensuing fracas. Now he can’t remember what he did with the painting due to his amnesia. Needless to say, Franck is more than a little displeased and forces Simon to visit a hypnotherapist in an effort to jog his memory.

The importance of memory has been a common theme in Boyle’s films. Trance is the latest example. As Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) probes deeper into Simon’s subconscious, the developing story takes on a depth that becomes more twisty than was initially apparent. The pacing is brisk and the personalities are fascinating. The mood is particularly exhilarating. The style exhibits the joy of a filmmaker that is relaxed. His fun is infectious and I was ready to be taken on an exciting trip. Once again Boyle taps longtime collaborator Rick Smith of the band Underworld for the pulsating score. The music throbs with a life that energizes the plot. All of this lays the groundwork for a head-scratching finale.

Trance is a well acted thriller. The narrative is surprisingly straightforward for the majority of the drama.  It’s not hard to follow. So that makes the developments of the final third a bit troubling. A chaotic eleventh hour action sequence flips everything completely on its head. You‘ll question what you’ve just witnessed. It plays fast and loose with the motivations of the characters. Assumptions are dashed. It tinkers with the conventions of hero and villain. If you’re content to rest in the hands of an auteur and allow yourself to go where he takes you, you should enjoy this film. As a self avowed fan, I was willing to put my faith in the director’s vision. You’ll end up debating the specifics though. Was a particular event real, a dream, a recollection or a suggestion? And who did what and to whom? To be honest, I’m still not sure how to interpret what happened, but for some reason I didn’t care that my expectations were destroyed. I think the journey was sufficiently entertaining that I didn’t mind the misdirection. In fact I kind of enjoyed it.

The Place Beyond the Pines

It starts with a shot of a guy displaying his impressive skill with a butterfly knife. As the tracking shot continues, it follows him as he walks through a carnival fairground. We discover he’s on his way to a show where he proceeds to mount a motorcycle and ride it into an enclosed spherical cage made of steel. He’s joined by two additional men on bikes and the resulting display is greeted with applause from the small audience. The guy is Luke Glanton and he’s a stuntman. Haphazardly covered in tattoos that almost look like doodles, he is a man of few words. It’s a brilliant start because it establishes so much about this man simply from visual clues. After that deceptively simple opening we are introduced to a former acquaintance, Romina (Eva Mendes) and her boyfriend Kofi (Mahershala Ali). The two are taking care of her infant son. This cluster of individuals is a fascinating subject for a picture. Ah but that’s merely the beginning.

The Place Beyond the Pines is a stunning multi-generational saga that has two other stories in addition to the one that makes up the film’s first third. This dramatic triptych continues on to detail the life of policeman Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) and two teens (Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen). The latter two struggling to keep their head above the tricky waters of high school. All the aforementioned actors pull off incredible performances worthy of mention. Newcomer Cohen is like the re-incarnation of Brad Renfro. He’s surprisingly good given I’ve never even heard of him. Who these various people are and how their lives fit together is something best discovered by experiencing the film. Director Derek Cianfrance‘s script which he co-wrote with Ben Coccio and Darius Marder, does a masterful job at managing multiple parts. Despite an ever-shifting narrative, each person is a fully formed human being with a separate focus. Even a role as seemingly one-dimensional as Cross’ wife Jennifer (Rose Byrne) has a distinct purpose that we can identify with in the one major scene she has. Ray Liotta and Ben Mendelsohn further contribute in key supporting parts that significantly alter the story. It’s only April, but this should rank high amongst the ensemble casts of 2013

The Place Beyond the Pines is an ambitious tale you’ll remember long after the credits have rolled. Cianfrance masterfully presents a carefully balanced epic of guilt, sin and redemption amongst fathers and sons. But he also provides car chases, guns and cop corruption. It’s got it all in a magnificently sweeping chronicle. The script’s handling of good vs. evil isn’t too subtle.  However the morally questionable motives of these people often belie honorable intentions. That’s what gives these characters a depth that makes them compelling. At times it’s a bit overwhelming to process all the themes that are being addressed. If Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine could be called an elaborate composition then The Place Beyond the Pines must be considered a grand opus of breathtaking proportions. If this is a logical progression, I can’t wait to see what the director does for an encore.

Spring Breakers

Four college girls want to spend their spring break vacation in Florida. A bevy of teen beauties, they are played by Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars) and Rachel Korine (the director’s wife). Seemingly the only students left on their college campus, they’re desperate to join the rest of their friends in Florida. They want to have fun but there’s a problem. They have no money. Brit, Candy, and Cotty (minus “good girl” Faith) decide their sole outlet for quick cash is to rob a diner so they can afford their trip. At first the jump from college coed to hardcore criminal seems like a stretch. However Spring Breakers also functions as a character study of wayward youth. At times I was reminded of films like Thirteen or Alpha Dog in its view of teens gone wrong. This seemingly incongruous behavior actually belies latent tendencies that will be brought to the surface in a horrifying display.

Spring Breakers would appear to be a fun in the sun escapade full of carnal hijinks and randy shenanigans among older teens. Director Harmony Korine’s view of these creatures is decidedly nihilistic. What else would you expect from the screenwriter of Kids? His take is unique. What Korine does is take the “Girls Gone Wild” template and thoroughly turn it on its ear. The cinematography is stylish. It’s appears like an MTV video – a candy colored vision of sun soaked beaches, golden tan bodies, techno music and beer. Yet this is as much a biting comment on pleasure seekers in Florida as it is a cautionary warning for the youth of today. Korine lulls the viewer into a false facade of good times. Montages are frequently utilized to create hallucinogenic sequences that act as sort of a narrative shorthand. These are extremely well edited. They are accompanied by random bits of dialogue, creating a building sense of anxiety and dread. Listen to James Franco intoning “Spriinnnnngggg breaaaakkkkkk.…Spriinnnnngggg breaaaakkkkkk.” The mantra becomes the spoken word equivalent of an earworm you cannot forget.

Speaking of unforgettable…James Franco. He gives a supporting performance worthy of an Academy Award. “My name’s Alien. My real name is Al, but truth be told, I am not from this planet y’all.“ The girls first encounter him at a beachside concert where he’s perforating as a rapper for the spring break crowd. Their paths will soon cross again in the future. As the cornrow wearing, teeth grill sporting, drug dealing white rapper with a southern drawl, he completely embodies the individual so perfectly you forget it’s the actor in the role. It is a mesmerizing achievement that is possibly the greatest James Franco has ever committed to celluloid. Yes he got an Oscar nomination for 127 Hours but his work here is even more revelatory. The four girls are quite effective in their parts as well. Viewers familiar with Gomez and Hudgens from their Disney Channel work, might be surprised seeing the starlets in a racy R rated tale. Gomez is the real standout here mainly because she goes through the biggest change. I only wish the other 3 weren’t all blonde (Hudgens dyes her hair) as it’s difficult to differentiate between the other three characters.

Spring Breakers is an intriguing film. What initially starts out as a superficial focus on hedonistic desires evolves (devolves?) into a nightmare come to life. The visual sequences build on repetition to the point where the audience is desensitized to all the wild partying. At first all the attractive young coeds in various states of undress threatens to become a part of what it ultimately condemns. Even when the girls are in a college classroom their minds are focused on less academic pursuits. But just when you acclimate to the debauched surroundings, the director ratchets up the intensity. There are scenes that have such an uneasy feel, they degenerate from a lighthearted good time into horror within seconds. The picture grows dark. It’s that ability to juggle a rapidly shifting narrative that makes Spring Breakers such a fascinating watch. It’s much more than what the trailers promote. It dares to show the consequences and for that reason, Spring Breakers deserves your attention.

Identity Thief

Identity Thief is a second-rate comedy with superlative talent. Why second rate? Let’s start the mostly uninspired script. Its lazy cribbing from the blueprint of the infinitely superior Planes, Trains and Automobiles is pretty shameful. Replace Steve Martin with Jason Bateman and John Candy with Mellissa McCarthy. Then shake up the circumstances that justify why this pair must travel together. In this case, a victim of identity theft, Bateman as Sandy Patterson, must actually find, apprehend and bring into custody, the criminal himself in an effort to clear his good name. McCarthy plays the proverbial thief who goes by the name Diana at one point. It’s a setup with potential, but the script just doesn’t have enough laughs to sustain the 108 minute running time.

There are too many scenes where nothing of interest happens.  Perhaps that explains why the plot has been made needlessly complex. There’s enough conflict amongst our star duo during their road trip together, so it’s perplexing why the screenwriters felt the compulsion to add not one, not two, but three baddies in relentless pursuit. Robert Patrick is a skiptracer that has been hired to locate Diana after she jumped bail. Then there are a couple of thugs played by Génesis Rodríguez and T.I. who are also hot on Diana’s trail because she gave their boss some bad credit cards. It’s hopelessly contrived. The characters are completely unnecessary because they barely even interact with our star twosome. Their presence is simply a distraction from the story at hand. Whenever these pursuers are on screen, the comedy comes to a crashing halt.

Despite all this, Bateman and McCarthy do have chemistry. Not as a romantic couple, but as a comedic duo. Their repartee is the ONLY reason that this buddy comedy has any merit whatsoever. I challenge you not to chuckle during McCarthy’s rendition of ‘Milkshake’ by Kelis or giggle at Bateman’s escalating exasperation. Without them, this road trip would have never even left the garage. With that said, her character’s behavior is wildly inconsistent. McCarthy is forced to play the fraud from Florida with a fluctuating personality that is bordering on schizophrenic. She vacillates between an unrepentant fiend and a misunderstood outsider. I suppose the latter portrayal makes the saccharine ending that tugs on your heartstrings a little easier to accept. Unfortunately, as much as I love the two stars, I cannot in good conscience give this film a pass.

Side Effects

There is a growing obsession for a panacea for all ills that will make life better – or easier at least. Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects is a deceptively simple parable that exploits society’s reliance on pills as the basis for this top notch psychological thriller. Emily’s husband has recently gotten out of jail for insider trading and has returned home. Their once perfect life shattered 4 years ago. They are now left to reconstruct the pieces of their once idyllic existence from the ground up. Despite her husband’s release, Emily still suffers from depression. She even has suicidal thoughts. One day while sitting in her car in the garage of their apartment building, she stares at the brick wall ahead of her and drives full speed right into it. Enter Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) who consults with Emily after her suicide attempt. He’s a psychiatrist and begins seeing her to help treat her depression. He prescribes Ablixa, a new antidepressant drug. Initially she responds positively to the supposed miracle cure. Then she suffers some unexpected, you guessed it, side effects.

Director Steven Soderbergh is working from an original script by frequent collaborator Scott Z. Burns (The Informant!, Contagion) Burns wisely captures the zeitgeist regarding our obsession with pharmaceuticals. The medication here in question here is called Ablixa, a fictional drug that could easily be a stand-in for Zoloft or Prozac or any other anti-depressant remedy in a pill. In a brilliant bit of marketing, there’s a clever viral video for Ablixa at http://www.tryablixa.com/ It features an ad that convincingly mimics the soothing music and happy people that are so often used to market medicine like this. You can even take a free evaluation of whether Ablixa is right of you. However the fact that it’s conducted by none other than Jude Law himself should clue you in that this is for entertainment purposes only.

And let’s talk about Jude Law. He’s extraordinary in Side Effects. As Emily’s psychiatrist, his character undergoes a sort of crisis of conscience at first. He’s responsible for prescribing a drug that has negative consequences on his patient’s well being. Just how responsible is he? The film addresses ethics, accountability and the legal system. Rooney Mara is at the center of the drama. I think this is quite possibly the most detailed performance we’ve seen from her yet. She’s a sympathetic soul for whom you feel compassion, but she’s also cold and aloof. She conveys a deeply nuanced character that becomes more complicated as the saga progresses. As Emily’s previous psychiatrist, Catherine Zeta-Jones provides delightful support in a role that taps into the kind of hammy exaggeration she clearly relishes. Channing Tatum is the husband.  He’s so busy out trying to re-establish his career again, his presence is less ubiquitous but still crucial to the narrative.

This nifty little thriller is a doozy. A slowly building, twisty little conundrum that exposes layers of intrigue that gradually get revealed just when you think you’ve got things figured out. It originates as sort of a cautionary tale regarding the dangers of prescription drugs, but the screenplay expands on that and then takes things in an entirely different direction. I won’t explain further because that would spoil the fun. While things are unfolding, an almost Hitchcockian scope is revealed. Admittedly, the plot developments really ask a lot of the audience.  A healthy suspension of disbelief is required to accept everything that this story puts forth. I might even go so far as to say they’re preposterous.  Yet it was so addictive, I didn’t mind any of that. Rooney Mara and Jude Law have an undeniable charisma that seize our attention whenever either one is on screen. I was entranced from beginning to end. They say this is Soderbergh’s “last” theatrical film. That would be a shame.  But one thing’s for sure. If that’s really the case, at least he went out with a bang.

A Few Good Men

What a cast! Two U.S. Marines, are on trial for the murder of William Santiago, a fellow private in their unit. Were the men acting under orders or was it a pre-meditated decision of their own?  Aaron Sorkin adapts his own 1989 Broadway play. His script crackles with intelligence as it entertains simply with words that fly fast and furious. Nowhere is this more true than in the courtroom arena. Jack Nicholson’s famous line in the climatic scene is pretty much the stuff of movie legend. He got the showiest role and the Academy Award nomination. He’s genuinely excellent as the proud and supercilious Colonel Nathan Jessup. But the rest of the company matches his talent. Tom Cruise and Demi Moore exhibit a witty repartee as the defense, Kevin Pollack rounds out their team with sagacious support, Kevin Bacon exudes confidence as the prosecutor and Kiefer Sutherland is all seething hostile aggression as Lieutenant Kendrick, Jessup’s right hand man. Everyone is in fine form. Sorkin’s writing is brilliant. A literate examination of the Marine Corps and their code of honor is at the heart of this expose. The actors give his language the dramatic weight that elevate this production into a document of military life that feels essential. 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Few Good Men. These are the reasons I love courtroom dramas.

Gangster Squad

It’s Los Angeles in 1949. Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) is an officer that operates outside the law. But don’t get the wrong idea. He’s a good guy, an honest cop. He merely acts illegally in order to serve justice every now and then. That’s especially true when it comes to apprehending Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), an infamous hoodlum that has become the most powerful figure in the Jewish mafia. His rise is unstoppable due in part to controlling the majority of law enforcement with bribes. O’Mara is placed in charge of a special police unit devoted to putting an end to Cohen’s reign in the criminal underworld. The gangster squad is an elite team of incorruptible cops, but it’s obviously an opportunity to hire a lot of acting talent as well: Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña and Robert Patrick comprise this noble team. They talk and act like stock characters (the black guy, the nerd, the Mexican, the old guy) from 2013 traveled back in time. Oh and what would any period detective drama be without a sexy dame so Emma Stone is on hand as the notorious mobster’s girl, who falls for Ryan Gosling (natch) because, uh well he lit her cigarette in a nightclub of course.

Gangster Squad has all the depth of a rain puddle. There’s no denying that it looks incredible. 1940s Los Angeles is recreated with stylish color and finesse. The production design is first rate and if that were all that mattered, this movie would earn 5 stars. However the narrative unfolds like a two-bit crime thriller. Given Sean Penn’s ugly prosthetics and accent he seems to be channeling Al Pacino in Dick Tracy. In fact I thought of Dick Tracy on more than one occasion while watching this. Warren Beatty’s far superior film was based on a comic book so its two dimensional facade worked in its favor. Here the artificiality works against the story. Sadly, the writing is hopelessly laughable. I frequently chuckled at dialogue that in retrospect was clearly meant to be serious. My favorite is when Police Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte) looks up from a newspaper with a huge headline in bold type calling for the police chiefs resignation and then loudly announcing “They’re calling for my resignation!“ You don’t say?! Oh and count how many times a character breaks/throws something in a fit of rage. If renting with friends at home, the number of occurrences would make a great drinking game. On second thought, that’s a better idea. Just wait for the DVD/Blu-ray. Spending $10 to view this in a theater would be a crime.

Skyfall

A hard drive has been stolen that contains the identities of NATO agents working as undercover operatives around the world. Many lives as well as the very existence of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, are now at stake. M, the head of MI6, will stop at nothing to retrieve it. If that means endangering the life of James Bond, our beloved hero, so be it.

Agent 007 returns in his 23rd adventure, and the 3rd starring Daniel Craig. Skyfall is thankfully a return to the main principles of Bond. The narrative is appreciatively clean and simple with an eye toward tradition. Director Sam Mendes respects the hallmarks that separate author Ian Fleming’s character from the herd. It’s not afraid to revel in the qualities that established James Bond to be the super-spy that he is. Yes there’s gambling, drinking, meaningless sex, witty one liners, ridiculous chases and a hissable villain. Even the theme song by Adele is a complete throwback to the classic themes by divas like Shirley Bassey. Are these cliché’s? Definitely. That is what makes a James Bond film so captivating. If Skyfall is to be measured by its number of clichés, exercised in small doses mind you, this is a darn good entry in the cannon.

The film is highlighted by action that is a joy to watch. That opening chase is completely bananas as we maneuver by car through the streets of Istanbul and then on to motorcycles racing over the rooftops. Soon we’re traveling aboard a train where naturally there’s a tractor for Bond to drive while atop that locomotive. It’s a dizzying delight. Later he ends up on a skyscraper in Shanghai. Against a video backdrop of animated jellyfish he goes toe to toe with a French mercenary working for a criminal mastermind. Their fighting silhouettes are outlined by the glowing blue neon background. The scenes are intrinsically riveting, but what raises the level of excitement is that they’re also beautiful to look at. Cinematographer extraordinaire, Roger Deakins is at the helm. Well known for his work with the Coen brothers, he brings his impressive expertise to the proceedings.

Skyfall celebrates James Bond in a story that’s refreshingly easy to follow. This is back to basics – sure to satisfy the purists while entertaining newbies to the franchise. No disrespect to Sean Connery or anyone else for that matter, but Daniel Craig has now eased into the part like he owns the role. The entire cast is excellent. Javier Bardem is absolutely wonderful as Raoul Silva a pale, blonde haired villain you’ll love to hate. He’s really engaging in his flirtatious exchanges as the cyberterrorist.  And he has an intelligent back-story. His evil ways are actually quite understandable. Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw all inhabit their roles with the confidence required. Even newcomer Bérénice Marlohe as “Bond girl” Sévérine is suitably enigmatic and alluring. The balance between lighthearted and serious is perfectly achieved in every scene. All of these elements combine with some nifty set pieces framed by some stunning cinematography. James Bond is back and he’s got style to spare!

Seven Psychopaths

Marty (Colin Farrell), a struggling screenwriter, is assisted on his latest work by his unemployed actor friend Billy who also happens to kidnap dogs in his spare time with partner-in-crime Hans. They return the animals to their owners for reward money. Billy inadvertently kidnaps a violent mobster’s beloved pet and that sets our story in motion. That might seem like a convoluted set up, but it’s just barely the tip of the iceberg of this tale. In fact that dog napping Shih Tzu storyline featured in the trailer and posters is but one aspect of a rapidly shifting plot that includes a writer’s desperate attempt to finish his screenplay, a “Jack of Diamonds” killer stalking Los Angeles mobsters, a Quaker out to avenge his daughter’s death and a Vietnamese priest with unresolved anger over the Vietnam war.

Seven Psychopaths features an “oh so hip it hurts” screenplay by Martin McDonagh. Its carefree tone plays with genre conventions in a manner that can be funny. However, that liveliness is frequently undone by gut churning violence. It’s really hard to keep laughing when we’re watching a man slice his own neck in unblinking style. To make matters worse this action is repeated when another man performs the same horrific act immediately after. There used to be a time when the camera would avert its gaze at such monstrosities but director Martin McDonagh insists on assaulting the audience. It completely takes us out of the humor of the situation. When Zachariah Rigby (Tom Waits) recounts how he and his girlfriend went around the country killing off other serial killers, the acts are performed in such gruesome detail that the carnage makes Saw or Hostel look like Babette’s Feast by comparison.

Where Seven Psychopaths shines is in the script. Its tale delights in being absurd. Woody Harrelson is notable as Charlie Costello. He’s a violent mobster who is quite comfortable with shooting a man at point blank range in the face. Yet he worships his prized Shih Tzu above all human life. Woody Harrelson is quite possibly the MVP of the picture. A majority of the best moments involve him, no small feat with a talented cast benefited by notorious scene stealers Christopher Walker as Hans and Sam Rockwell as Billy. Charlie’s interrogation of Hans’ wife at the hospital (played with steely resolve by Linda Bright Clay) is a mesmerizing exchange.

Seven Psychopaths satirizes mob movie conventions with rapid fire dialogue. The script is highlighted by a meandering, disjointed narrative. Even the very title is a misnomer because there are really only six psychopaths. One (Billy) gets counted twice. Plus they’re not the same lunatics represented on the poster. For example, where is the Vietnamese priest? Granted these are trivialities. It’s the odd mix of violence and humor that is truly unsettling. The film will hold considerably more appeal for viewers with strong stomachs that can find humor in extreme ultra violence. Yet for all its faults, Seven Psychopaths is simply too well acted and audacious to simply dismiss. There are definitely some amusing moments amongst the repartee and memorable characters. The quick exchanges have the actors rarely pausing to even take a breath. Christopher Walken amps up his eccentric delivery to comical effect where he becomes a parody of himself (in a good way). Sam Rockwell likewise chews the scenery, but it’s Woody Harrelson that truly takes the cake. When it’s finished, I’m not sure all the chaos really fits together in a coherent puzzle, but with a movie like this, I guess that’s not really the point.

End of Watch

Two beat cops are partners as well as buddies. Together they serve and protect South Central Los Angeles. One is married, the other has just met a girl. In their regular patrolling of the area they routinely have entertaining conversations. Observe Jake Gyllenhaal as Officer Brian Taylor and Michael Peña as Officer Mike Zavala lob good natured insults at each other that reference cultural stereotypes. Their jokes belie an obvious friendship. In their day to day rounds, they stumble upon a dangerous Mexican drug cartel.

On paper, the plot unfolds like any generic buddy cop film. But in the hands of writer/director David Ayer, the tale deeply engages the viewer. He appears to have a fascination with the LAPD. Clearly he has a love for this material. Ayer has an ear for well written dialogue as this script is on a par with his memorable screenplays for The Fast and the Furious, Training Day and S.W.A.T. Apparently third time is the directing charm as this movie blows his previously helmed efforts (2006′s Harsh Times and 2008′s Street Kings) out of the water.

If the picture had a major failing it’s in the cinematography. Officer Taylor has been documenting his life on the job for a class he’s taking. His shots are the video that we the audience see. The “found footage” milieu can play havoc on one’s eyesight. Granted it gives the action a visceral, “you are there” experience. However one fight between Michael Peña’s character and a street tough devolves into a wrestling match with wildly spinning visuals that are likely to make you seasick.

End of Watch has a point of view that is thankfully unexpected. Given the prevailing attitudes toward LA cops, the positive outlook reads highly original in this day and age. The account is surprisingly laudatory. I was expecting a much different portrayal. Why only back in February, Woody Harrelson’s character in Rampart presented a decidedly pessimistic view of LA cops. But this tribute to the good men and women in blue never feels sappy. The charisma of actors Gyllenhaal and Peña should not be underestimated. They carry many scenes simply of the strength of their casual easy going chemistry. We genuinely care about these guys. The narrative is intense, exciting and realistic. Everything a police drama should be. It renders what happens a profoundly moving experience.