Grade Scale
- A+: Never say never
- A: A masterpiece
- A-: A near-masterpiece
- B+: Very good movie
- B: Good movie but some minor flaws
- B-: Pretty good but some flaws
- C+: Slightly above average
- C: Average
- C-: Mediocre
- D: Bad movie!!!
- F: Atrocious, avoid at all cost!
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|  By Castor | 
Crazy Heart, written and directed by Scott Cooper, is the tale of Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), a washed-up country/western singer well past his prime. He is now reduced to drive around the Southwest in his beat-up pickup truck, staying at shabby motels, and performing in nondescript bowling alleys and local bars for a living. This does not sit too well with Bad who is also constantly drunk and a heavy smoker. Bad gets a chance at redemption, however, when he meets and falls in love with Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), an aspiring journalist and single mother.
Cooper doesn’t try to do too much in his directorial debut. The movie has a quiet and minimalistic feel, allowing the actors to take complete control of the screen and shining the spotlight on the star of the show. Cooper wrote the movie entirely for Jeff Bridges and only wanted him for the part. We can see why as Bridges has been critically lauded for his performance and is guaranteed his 5th Academy Award nomination. Bridges completely inhabits his character and gives an intense and completely authentic performance that separates Crazy Heart from the pack of similarly related movies. Bad is dirty, sweaty, psychologically broken, and seen drinking and smoking at every hour of the day, he is a complete wreck and every instant of it felt real. No less impressive is the fact that Bridges is utterly believable as a singer, performing all his songs by himself. Same goes for Colin Farrell who plays Tommy Sweet, Blake’s former protege who has gone on to become a bigger and brighter star. It is refreshing to see that Tommy is not portrayed as some douchebag but as a genuinely thankful person who reverently considers Blake as the source of his current success. Farrell acquits himself very well although he appeared a bit forced in his first scene of the movie. Maggie Gyllenhaal is her usual reliable self, giving an effortless turn as Bad’s love interest. We never really understand why she is attracted to that ship-wreck named Bad Blake but that’s mostly an issue the script doesn’t want to address. Robert Duvall also appears in the movie for a couple brief scenes, and well it’s Robert freaking Duvall. The man is a legend.
Production values are very good. Crazy Heart is nicely shot with eye-pleasing cinematography by Barry Markowitz. Musically, the songs by T-Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton are catchy, crowd-pleasing and well-performed. Director/writer Scott Cooper told us at the “advanced” screening (in Minneapolis at least, see notes) that the stage scenes were actually performed at a real concert in front of a real audience and the crowd reaction is completely authentic as they had no idea that Colin Farrell and Jeff Bridges would appear out of nowhere and start singing. That’s pretty gutsy if you ask me both from the production and actors point of view.
Despite its all too common redemption premises of a middle-aged drunken country singer past his prime, Crazy Heart is elevated by a superb cast highlighted by the terrific Jeff Bridges.
B+
Notes: Rated R for language and brief sexuality, 111 minutes. In roll-out limited release in select cities.
VN:F [1.8.5_1061] Rating: 7.0/10 (3 votes cast)
| By Castor |
One Hour Photo is a psychological thriller directed by Mark Romanek and starring Robin Williams as “Sy” Parrish in a role that is very unlike your usual Robin William’s fare. Sy has been running the one-hour photo lab at SavMart for the last 10 years and is very attentive and meticulous that “his” customers receive the best service possible… and he should because he has nothing else going on in his life: No companionship, no kids, no friends, nothing at all. Sy knows most of his customers but none interest him more than the well-to-do Yorkins which he believes is the perfect family and whose life he lives vicariously through the picture he has developed for them over the years. There is picture-perfect mother and wife Nina (beautiful Connie Nielsen), husband Will (Michael Vartan) and son Jake (Dylan Smith). There would be nothing wrong being a little envious but Sy is downright obsessed, keeping copies of all their pictures which he pasted onto a wall in his apartment. Sy thinks he know them so much that he vicariously thinks of himself as Uncle Sy and begins to stalk the family without noticing. His attempt to befriend the Yorkins are gently rebuffed but everything starts to go downhill when he is fired from his job and he discovers that the Yorkins’ life is not so idyllic after all.
You think this is creepy? Well just watch the movie because it is uncomfortably creepy at times as the director has the viewer become Sy’s accomplice. Nevertheless, the movie does a good job threading that line without going into the macabre and there is something about Sy that make you almost sympathize with him. That same feeling of sadness and melancholy that you get when you meet someone who has nothing to look up to in life. This is how powerful Robin Williams is in this movie which is, I believe one of his best performance of his career. Sy is a fully developed character with complex motives, matching bland attire and inner voice-over. The supporting cast is solid but the Yorkins family is underdeveloped which hurts the movie as a whole. We don’t get any background on why they would be dysfunctional in the first place and there is no good explanation for Nina’s and Will’s behavior. Nielsen and Vartan do a nice job of cautiously but gently rebuffing Williams creepy kindness but that’s pretty much all they are asked to do. Nina gets the most screentime of the Yorkins family but yet, Sy goes after Will who is apparently a douchebag anyway. It would have helped to develop their characters much further so the audience can feel more apprehensive for them or have Sy go after the wife or the kid instead of the adulterous husband. The cinematography is solid, contrasting Sy’s bland surrounding (the SavMart, his apartment, even his car) with the colorful pictures of the Yorkins’ family while the musical score is your average thriller-type fare. The main problem of the movie is the ending which is a bit rushed after the relatively slow building of the first 70 minutes as well as unrealistic and just not so thrilling. We also know right away that Sy is an obsessed creep so the first 30 or 40 minutes feel like they were wasted as the characters barely develop beyond what we already expect, it may have worked better if he was a little less obvious especially at the beginning of the movie.
Enjoyable creepy movie solidified by a great performance by Robin Williams. Disappointing ending and lightly written roles make this movie merely good.
B-
VN:F [1.8.5_1061] Rating: 7.0/10 (2 votes cast)
| By Castor |
In Search of a Midnight Kiss is an independent romantic comedy written and directed by Alex Holdridge. It’s that time of the year for our lonely and penniless main character Wilson (Scoot McNairy). New Year’s eve is fast approaching and he just had the worst year of his life. He got dumped by his long-time girlfriend and can’t get over it, had his laptop containing all his work stolen, and was just caught masturbating to a photoshopped picture of his roommate’s girlfriend. He would be content just spending the festivities locked in his room. His best pal Jacob (Brian McGuire) gets him to put up a personal ad for a new year’s eve date on Craigslist and soon enough he meets Vivian (Sara Simmonds), a painfully neurotic but nonetheless attractive blond who is also looking for a midnight date. He initially sticks with the overtly hostile Vivian only because he is depressed and doesn’t want to be alone for New Year’s eve and they wander the streets of Los Angeles as midnight approaches.
Made on a nonexistent budget of $12,000, Midnight Kiss is a witty, funny and off-beat indie and shows you don’t need big stars, fancy locations and a massive budget to make a compelling and entertaining romantic comedy (or any type of movie for that matter). The dialogue is sharp and quirky and the solid performances ground the movie in the realm of reality and make for an above average rom-com.
B
VN:F [1.8.5_1061] Rating: 7.0/10 (1 vote cast)
| By Castor |
 Jessica Stein (the deliciously cute Jennifer Westfeldt) has it all or almost. She is a successful, straight, attractive single woman living in New York City. Frustrated of not finding a decent guy (she’s picky), she tries to find a friendship with another woman and answers an intriguing ad in the newspaper written by bisexual free-spirit Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen) looking for her first lesbian relationship. Can the conservative and resolutely straight Jessica make the leap? What will she tell her parents and friends?
Directed by the competent Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, Kissing Jessica Stein is a refreshing romantic comedy exploring the blurry line between friendship and love. The movie is elevated by credible and heartfelt performances from co-writers Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen as well as a great supporting cast highlighted by Tovah Feldshuh who plays Jessica’s Jewish mother with great aplomb and depth.
A cute, smart and witty romantic comedy that goes beyond well beyond its sitcom cliche.
B-
VN:F [1.8.5_1061] Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
| By Castor |
 “You can’t build happiness on the unhappiness of someone else.”Married Life directed by Ira Sachs, is a dark and witty comedy of manners with a big dash of psychological thriller. Set in 1949, the plot is about Harry Allen (the formidable Chris Cooper), an apparently successful businessman. See, Harry seems to have it all, successful career, nice house, sex-driven wife (sublime Patricia Clarkson), he is living THE life! Except poor Harry longs for true love and that is missing. In comes Kay Nesbitt (lovely Rachel McAdams), a young war widow with whom Harry has an affair. Things turn for the bad when Harry presents Kay to his best pal, Richard Langley (the always suave Pierce Brosnan) who immediately falls for the young widow. Much worse, Harry plans to marry Kay and decides to poison his wife because he “loves” and respect her so much and knows she would be crushed by a divorce.
I will start with the negatives: The ending is unsatisfying and disappointing as Sachs took the easy path instead of digging deeper or darker. This movie would have been excellent instead of merely good, had the ending been over the edge of darkness instead of going for the usual satisfying Hollywood ending. The pacing of the movie is inconsistent and choosing to have Kay Nesbitt being so young was also questionable because we have to wonder why she would love Harry, a guy who could easily be her dad. I would say have Kay be a bit older, maybe in her early 40’s, cast someone older for the role and the movie would still work but without the nagging question.
 On the positive side, The movie is refreshing in how it is built: an Hitchcokian atmosphere with an elegant re-creation of the 1940’s. The cars, the houses, the sets, the chain smoking, the clothes are all realistic and marvelously rich. Pierce Brosnan did the voice-over narration which added another touch of old times to the movie. Another thing that worked really well is the amount of tension and suspense Sachs is able to achieve out of several scenes involving Harry and his plans to poison his wife. The characters were interesting in that they turned out to be completely different from what you expect on first impression. You would think Harry Allen is in love with Kay because of how physically attractive she is. He is, however, in love with her because of their spiritual connection. Classic Hitchcock platinum blonde Kay, would seem at first sight to be your run-of-the-mill bimbo or gold-digger but she is actually an honorable and thoughtful woman looking to heal her wounds. Harry’s wife, Pat, turns out to be a lot less devoted to her husband than first thought while Richard does his best to seduce Kay away from his best friend.
The ensemble cast is outstanding and is highlighted by Chris Cooper who shows he can carry a movie instead of just being a solid supporting actor. He was perfect as the repressed husband ready to explode but unsure of how to express his desires to his own wife. He showers his wife with the type of tenderness one would when feeling guilty of cheating on her. Cooper had good chemistry with the excellent Patricia Clarkson, who in many ways had the most complex character. Pierce Brosnan is also starting to distance himself from his 007 days and in a good way, using his charm to seduce Kay away from Harry. His character doesn’t feel remorse or shame for betraying his friend, he just accepts the inevitability of it and Brosnan gives a strong and assured performance. Finally, Rachel McAdams was impressively understated and subtle as Kay, demonstrating her acting chops in one of her strongest performance to date. She gives her character an undercurrent of sadness, intelligence, and vulnerability and plays on even terms with her much more experienced co-stars. On an aside note, it’s nice to see that she turned down several comic book hero type characters such as the Pepper Potts’ role in Ironman, Sue Storm in Fantastic Four and the Rachel Dawes’ role in The Dark Knight. It’s refreshing to see for once someone who truly wants to work on her craft, and not necessarily be a movie star.
Not for everyone but terrific performance from the ensemble cast and a long-bygone Hitchcokian atmosphere make this small indie a refreshing breath of air. Don’t take this movie too seriously and you will most likely find it funny and enjoyable.
B
Notes: Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and a scene of sexuality. 91 minutes.
VN:F [1.8.5_1061] Rating: 7.7/10 (3 votes cast)
| By Castor |
The Lucky Ones, directed by Neil Burger (The Illusionist), is the latest from a long line of movie about the Iraq war. As witnessed the last few years, those movies haven’t done so well at the box office and this small independent production certainly did not break the mold. Given the fact that it is an independent production, and it got the luminous Rachel McAdams and good old Shawshank State Prison escapee Tim Robbins, I took a chance and rented the DVD.
The Lucky Ones tells the story of returning soldiers, Colee Dunn (Rachel McAdams), T.K. Poole (Michael Pena), and Fred Cheever (Fred Robbins) who end up taking a road trip across the United States after their flight home is canceled. Colee is a sweet, enthusiastic but very naive private who was wounded in the leg, and on her way to bring her dead boyfriend’s guitar back to his family. T.K. was injured in the private parts and can’t come to terms on how to deal with his loss of manhood and his relationship with his fiancee. Cheever finished his lengthy tour with an injured back and only wants to return home to see his wife and son but quickly learns that his wife wants to divorce him and his son needs $20K for college. Through a set of odd circumstances, those three find themselves in a series of mishaps and misadventures that leaves each of them a little more mature.
The Lucky Ones is one of those movies that you can’t help but like despite some troublesome issues. The movie is light and fairly quickly paced. The biggest problem with the movie was the amount of incongruous coincidences used as plot devices. I will name two here: no flights going out of NYC for two weeks and a cheesy tornado dropping out of nowhere! Almost just as bad is that the movie suffers from an ill-defined tone. Comedy and drama are not mixed well in the plot and so the viewer never really feels strongly either way, or worse, gets exasperated with the choices. For example, the scene where Colee weeps in the back of the car after an argument with T.K is made to be some kind of comical moment using a light musical score and a couple looks at T.K and Cheaver’s face. Problem is the scene was actually sad with Colee crying because she was alone on Earth with nowhere to go to. So indeed, you are actually feeling sad and you want the movie to get deeper into that issue, but then they try to lighten the scene with some comedy and music which was a really poor choice. The movie felt a bit too contrived at times but that would be unfair to the performance from the ensemble cast.
Ah! The actors’ performance and chemistry was simply brilliant and likable, keeping the underwritten script and somewhat contrived plot from sinking the movie. Interaction between the three main characters is easy and unforced, and more importantly, felt real. Burger did a solid job of developing each character equally. The always-lovely Rachel McAdams is her usual energetic self, even kicking some ass in a bar fight. Colee is young and naive but not stupid: Inquisitive, and good-hearted with a very short temper, she chatters on and on to hide a much deeper sense of sadness and loneliness. You know Colee had a rough and sad childhood, all of this without us being told, which is just brilliant acting from McAdams. Good old Tim Robbins also put up an earnest and collected effort as a retiring soldier in his 40’s who cannot afford his son’s college tuition, whose wife wants to divorce him, and who is facing the fact that he is going to be jobless soon. Michael Pena was surprisingly solid and held his own against the other two, transitioning well from the confident and cocky character he was at the beginning of the movie to a more thoughtful and sensible person by the end. Pena has shown the past few years he is a force to contend with as a character’s actor (Crash, Shooter, Lions for Lambs)
In all, weakness in terms of tone, and overuse of artificial plot devices make this movie unmemorable. However, it is a likeable movie if not only for the cast oustanding work. Michael Pena, Tim Robbins, and the luminous Rachel McAdams carry a movie that would have been completely forgettable without them. Not a must watch but if you are a sucker for good acting like I am, then you won’t be disappointed at all.
B: I liked it quite a lot, you may or may not but the superior acting makes it worthwhile. You know what, this is exactly why I watch those little independent movies! VN:F [1.8.5_1061] Rating: 7.7/10 (3 votes cast)
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