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Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
Good biopic with some clichés (possible spoilers)
I have to admit that if you aren't a chess player, this movie might not really interest you. While chess mastery signifies a certain level of intelligence, I concede, plenty of smart people have little to no interest in it. I think though that you don't have to be a daily chess player like myself to enjoy this movie. Biopics in general are not my favorite type of movie. Reading a good book on famous person is usually the better option. But who reads anymore, right?
I'm not going to write a mini-biography of Bobby Fischer for this review. Chances are you know he is considered one of the greatest if not the greatest chess player the world has ever known. His life was consumed by chess to a staggering degree and almost certainly his obsession was detrimental to his mental health and personal relationships. The movie chronicles his descent into what could be called paranoid schizophrenia while he also had OCD. What I came away with was the idea that he became a prisoner of his obsession with chess: its own little universe of complex calculations and theories. Throughout the movie he seemed to show little interest in any other subjects spending nearly 14 hours everyday submerged in chess. As he battled the Russian chess masters, he became increasingly afraid of being spied on and even killed. His climactic 1972 chess battles with Boris Spassky, the Russian champ, seemed to push him to the limits of his psychological endurance.
The plot follows the familiar biopic: early life and promise of great things, rise to power, series of setbacks and self doubt, triumphant return and film climax, and denouement with later life rap up. I don't really like the biographical notes at the end of a biopic because it seems slapdash and perfunctory. The actual newsreel footage of a clearly mentally unstable Bobby Fischer also seems out of place after watching Tobey Maguire inhabit the role.
Overall, the acting was good though I'm no expert on acting. The film moves along pretty well without dissolving into tedium. I didn't notice many problems on the technical end: cinematography, editing, sound, etc. The ending however, just seemed sort of a let down. Then again, real life has a way of being anti-climatic. I don't think I'm a better chess player because of this movie. That would have been nice but unlikely. Its yet another tale of a genius teetering and then presumably falling into madness. I dislike using the term cautionary tale. Few of us ever approach the level of genius Bobby had. Yet, we all can become overpowered by our obsessions whatever they might be.
Gangster Squad (2013)
not what I'd hoped for really
Watched this again on DVD after seeing it in the theater. I'm a big fan of film noir and works of old detective fiction writers like Chandler, Hammett, as well as newer stuff by James Ellroy. I was hoping this film would actually delve into the moral ambiguities of cops breaking the law to protect it or whatever the tag line was. However, the nice sets, cars, homages, can't make up for what ends up being a complete lack of surprises. It is as most people claim, a reworking of the untouchables substituting LA in the late forties for Chicago in the 1920's. I enjoyed the movie in the theater because as usual, I was in need of some distraction. Still, this movie on second viewing really shows all its weaknesses. The love affair between Gosling and Stone is ludicrous. He goes after Cohen's moll (Stone) because A. shes's the most beautiful thing in the room and his hardon drives him B. he's suicidal and courting Cohen executing him C. this is just an excuse to add a damsel in distress who does next to nothing and is perhaps a "whore with a heart of gold." The rainbow coalition of cops during that era also seems strange at a time when nearly everyone was openly racist. No one really seems to state the obvious which is that the cops often instigate a shoot out where innocent civilians end up getting shot and killed. Perhaps the idea of collateral damage is one we've grown accustomed to in a world where "good" and "evil" must clash in uncompromising fashion. Sean Penn does well here despite coming dangerously close to Dick Tracy caricature. Brolin is believable enough while Gosling for whatever reason continues to bother me and seems woefully out of place. The rest of the squad is there just to add a few more guns to the mix although I really do like Michael Pena. He does very little here though. I really did not expect much though I really would like someday to see 40's, 50's LA treated with a little more authenticity and seriousness in a film. Ellroy does the best novels on this era but adaptations of his work range from good as in LA confidential to terrible in The black Dhalia. I guess I'll just have to wait.
Heaven's Gate (1980)
Strange Film that's compelling on several levels. Possible spoilers
As I watched this much maligned film, I actually did like it and at times, became invested in the sort of class warfare story. There is a deep sadness that flows throughout the whole movie which makes the nearly laugh out loud, ludicrous events toward the end of the film pretty jarring. Its a film that was struggling to find its center and became a bit of a disaster. Still, there's much to be enjoyed here. The movie does not shy away from the grittier facts of the west: the whoring, the cock fighting, the straight up government sanctioned slaughter of poor foreigners. I appreciated these aspects told in such blunt fashion. My guess is Dead Wood owes a great deal to this film. The town's people are not really charming or educated. Still, stealing their land and murdering them sickens the normal person even to think about. The main villain is truly despicable. He a corrupt businessman to his core who can hire men to do his killing for him and the "association." I found myself wishing him the most horrible death imaginable hopefully at the hands a Slavic farmer. When I truly loathe a villain, I feel the film has succeeded on some level. Honestly, many villains are cardboard cutouts that don't compel much emotion. The acting overall was scatter shot. I'm always a fan of Christopher Walken though the younger version is much more subdued than what he eventually became. Kristofferson growls most of his lines and plays a shut down, drunk overwhelmed by the futility of being a sheriff in a lawless land. John Hurt never seems to do much besides drink himself blind and recite poetry. Mickey Rourke in one of his early roles has an interesting scene but his character (like several others) seemed unnecessary. I will say that the cinematography was excellent in several scenes and worth watching again. We are oddly enough today still faced with the bloated 2 and a half or more hour epics that could obviously have be trimmed of excess fat. Heaven's Gate seems like the granddaddy of a lot of the recent crop and one has to wonder why Criterion saw fit to put out the uncut version at 216 minutes. I definitely fast forwarded through a communal dance scene which then turned into a duo dance scene. Other than that, I made it through the whole film in one evening which at its length says something. Overall, its a flawed film that attempted to do too much with not enough focus. However, failure can often be more interesting than success when a man grasps for sweet inspiration and not just the low hanging fruit.
The Babysitter (1969)
interesting trash
Just watched this little piece of exploitation and somewhat enjoyed it. Obviously, its a cynical take on the free love era. The idea that a eighteen year old baby sitter would be able to sneak her friends into her employer's house for a groovy band practice while they're away is ludicrous yet pretty damn funny. That she turns out to be a tramp is believable but her vicious side toward the end seems a bit too much. I don't feel like I'm giving too much away by saying this seems almost like the fantasy of a square henpecked lawyer who wants to take advantage of the freedoms of sexual liberation without facing any of the consequences. For some that's the American dream: flouting laws and societal conventions and still getting to keep your job and social standing. For someone like myself who didn't grow up in that era, a lot of its seems alien and laughable at times. Even those riding the crest of the sexual liberation movement were quick to see its downside though. I guess i would prefer this movie too some rosy glasses colored film that really thought peace and love would conquer the world's overwhelming problems. A star rating seems really hard to do with something like this. It has a plot. It has some twists and turns. Overall, its trash but I didn't feel like I'd completely squandered my time.
Observe and Report (2009)
great little dark comedy
I've watched this film almost half a dozen times so I guess I am part of the Observe and Report cult. All you people giving it one, two star reviews...really? Are you that masochistic that you have to write a dissertation on something you hate? This is a great movie that knocks you on your ass with its dark humor and is indeed offensive. In fact, I would say if you're not offended in certain scenes, then there may be actually something wrong with you. Go see your shrink and talk about it. Despite that, there are also scenes that are moving and true to life which make this more than just some exercise in shoddy exploitation. At any rate, I love this movie and own a copy (if that says anything) Why you ask? Well, for one thing this is a great movie about a delusional man with bipolar disorder. The film has dream elements where he comes close to realizing his over the top ambitions only to be smacked in the face by societal regulations. On a serious note, there are a lot of young men who cannot fit into society and find a deeper purpose for living. The mall seems like the perfect metaphor for what has happened to American society. It is a boring, stultifying environment where banality is seen as the highest good and crass consumerism is the almighty God. Certain professions like security guard seem to attract nutballs, guys who dream of a police badge and a gun yet have to settle for chasing off skateboarders from the mall parking lot while carrying mace and at most a tazer. Now is the film an indictment of a crazed society and its shiftless youth or is it a nihilistic celebration of recklessness and mental illness? Even after watching it as many times as I have, I'm not sure I can come to any stunning conclusion. Its opened ended and while I know that can infuriate people looking for closure (and worse, a message) its the truth about this shocking and original film. Let me say that you owe it to yourself to check it out. When truly stupid comedies are abundant (usually ones about young men smoking pot and trying to get laid), its refreshing to see a film that dares to be wildly different in true punk rock fashion.
The Campaign (2012)
very funny film
As a young American, I perhaps assume that while politics have always been a dirty business, there was a time when someone like Sarah Palin would have never been viewed with any credibility. How could someone so clueless and compromised pull the wool over people's eyes and pretend to be anything less than a moral sellout? This movie seems less like farce than a cautionary tale about money in politics and the way in which a political candidate can be bought by large corporate interests. The Motch brothers in the film are clearly a reference to the Koch brothers who are perhaps the most ruthless opponents of the democratic process. Its all about the money, Lebowski. So is the movie itself any good? I laughed very loudly at certain parts though I feel there were some scenes that were unnecessarily vulgar and just plain mean spirited. I'm not a moralist, but crudeness is becoming the norm in comedies occasionally in the place of true wit and inspiration. Whether this movie will cause the average viewer to look into nefarious dealings of the Koch bros and others and possibly find out what Citizens United means to our democracy remains to be seen.
The Black Dahlia (2006)
an incomprehensible mess
Having read the book, I can say this is a pretty terrible adaptation. This movie is another film that tried to ride the wave of Sin City's success even using Josh Hartnett as the lead (he had a bit role in Sin City) I'll be honest the book is convoluted like most of Ellroy's fiction and one almost needs some kind of character chart to follow the action properly. That being said, the screenwriters compressed the story and completely rewrote whole portions of the plot. Back to Harnett. He's not right for this role and I guess not right for the vast majority of roles. i've seen this handsome yet bland fellow in so many clunkers, I've pretty much written him off. Scarlett Johanson is only slightly better. HIllary Swank as the femme fetal is useless. Aaron eckhart tries very hard to play his part well and is the only glimmer of hope in the film. You can seen his inner turmoil and symptoms of PTSD. The supporting cast is serviceable but lost in the mess. De Palma and the studio was clearly trying to capitalize on the success of earlier films like there's some kind of complicated formula punched into a machine that will spit out box office gold. Frankly, I don't think Ellroy's books have ever been adapted into great movies. LA Confidendial is a good film but not a great film. Overall, if you've read the book rent the film and have a good chuckle at how wrong they got the whole thing.
The Public Eye (1992)
great film noir
This is one of my new favorite film noirs. Its nice to see Pesci play a sleaze ball who still has some redeeming qualities. In true noir fashion, the woman is not to be trusted and love goes unrequited. I'm fascinated by this era; the cars, the clothes,the lingo, the general attitudes of the time. I almost would have liked to see this done in B&W although the cinematography is excellent. The basic themes of world weary cynicism and loneliness that Bernzini exhibits are feelings I can relate to personally. He roams through the streets of new york during WWII as a shutterbug taking gorgeous photos of tragic people and homicides. His work is art, yet he is seen as nothing more than an opportunistic dirtbag by most people. The femme fatale comes across as a woman doing what she must to survive in a cut throat business. She is drawn to Bernzini out of a mixture of respect for his art and pity for his sad existence. Great movie!