End of Watch

If there's been a better cop movie than End of Watch then I definitely haven't seen it or don't remember it. End of Watch combines a few different genres - intense and gritty thriller, docudrama, and funny buddy cop movie - and somehow it all manages to work for the most part .

The film, directed by David Ayer, follows the exploits of two cops Brian (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike (Michael Pena), partners who come back after a knock em down drag em out car chase / shoot out only to be transferred to the dangerous and gritty South Central of Los Angeles. A routine run in with a group of Latino gang members peeks their interests and soon they are finding reasons to pull over suspicious people. On one of these routine pull overs, they discover blinged out guns and tons of money. This puts them on the radar of the Mexican drug cartel who puts a hit out on the cock of the walk partners. That's the plot in a nutshell, save for Mike's newborn baby with his high school sweetheart and Brian's fledgling relationship with an adorable good girl (Anna Kendrick). It may not sound all that thrilling and intense and interesting, but it most certainly is all of those things and more.

Brian carries a camera around to film crime scenes in an attempt to make a "Day in the Life" video for a film night class he's taking. This behind the scenes accessibility gives the film a whole new feel. The movie feels like you are actually there, on a ride along with the LAPD which lends End of Watch a whole new level of intensity. You are there for the thrilling car chases. You are there for the creepy walk throughs of seemingly abandoned houses. You are there for the heroic (stupid??) race into a burning building to save three children. And you are even there for the boring parts too. But these boring parts, asinine converstations between partners and friends from everything to sex and relationships and weekend plans, are rich and electrifying given the natural chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Pena.

Pena is so damn realistic in this movie that sometimes you feel like you are watching a reality show about his life. His lived in character doesn't feel fake or even scripted. It's like he's just living his day to day life and we are lucky enough to watch. His performance is revelatory. Gyllenhaal is great too, as the tough and loyal cop. The chemistry between the two is one of the many aspects that brings this from common and boring cop drama and puts it in a whole other playing field. Even Kendrick scores as a cutie in a small and more or less thankless role.

The movie is not without it's faults. There is one gleaming plothole that I won't mention because I don't want to ruin anything. Plus, the black and Latino gang members border on racial sterotyping. Also, I would have preferred the movie had it ended five minutes sooner. I think the ending I envisioned, while enigmatic, would have been more satisfying. Still, End of Watch is a damn good movie. As far as cop movies go, it's one of the best. Ever .

Grade: B+

The Master

Sometimes a movie comes along and you just don't know how to feel about it. The Master is that kind of movie. Technically, it's a masterpiece. As far as direction, cinematography and performances go, there hasn't been a better movie this year. In fact, there probably hasn't been a better movie since that killer trifecta of 2007 (Into the Wild, No Country For Old Men and Paul Thomas Anderson's LAST near perfect masterpiece, There Will Be Blood, which is superior to his latest effort). Still, there is just something missing from the whole thing.

The Master follows Freddy Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a man who, after leaving the Navy, is a shell of himself. He's hunched over, hands on hips, face twisted into deranged expressions. He's a caged animal, ready to strike at anyone and everyone. Since his days in the Navy, he's having a bit of a problem fitting in with society. All he thinks about is sex and he moves from job to job to job. He's lost and a danger to himself and others. One night, he happens upon a boat, lit up like a Christmas tree and without a second thought, he stows away. The next morning, hungover, he meets the captain of the ship - Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a man of many hats - doctor, author, philosopher, and most importantly the leader of The Cause. Dodd doesn't seem too concerned that Freddy crashed the wedding of his daughter which is happening on the ship, and Freddy easily becomes his right hand man and protege. Dodd introduces him to his family, including wife Peggy (Amy Adams) and The Cause - a religious type movement that traces your past back billions of years and tries to erase your animal instincts. Freddy is a perfect subject.

Much has been made of Paul Thomas Anderson's "Scientology movie" but this isn't an expose of the controversial religion. In fact, it seems only the very basic principles are even based on Scientology. Anderson isn't interested in making a movie trying to dispel any religion. He's more interested in the dark and twisted relationship between these two men (is it brotherly? father / son? master / slave? homoerotic? or a little bit of all these things?). As far as character studies go, The Master is aces. And Anderson isn't going to let his audience off the hook lightly. There are no easy answers here. If you want a movie that's "about" something, Anderson isn't going to tell you what it is. You have to figure it out for yourself. But The Master is, indeed, about something. It's about a lost and possibly insane man who is wandering through this big, scary world with no direction and no future. He meets a man, probably a fraud, who wants to give him meaning. You can argue that The Cause is a failure because, in the end, it doesn't diminish his animal instincts. However, in the end, it helps him to find a way to fit in with society, so maybe The Cause did work for Freddy after all.

As far as the performances go, you won't see finer performances this year. Of that, I am certain. There has been much made about Phoenix's raw and fiery performance as Freddy, and all of the praise is definitely worthy. This is the best he's ever been - a caged animal, set loose into the crazy and scary world. He listens to no one and is controlled by no one. He's definitely a man who is marching to his own drummer. As good as Phoenix is, I actually prefer Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance just a bit. His Lancaster Dodd is a lying, manipulator. A self-assured leader of a fraud movement that somehow manages to help people. These two actors alone are reason to see the movie. The dueling aspect of these fine performances is superb, from the processing scene to that amazing scene in the jail, I wish they could both win the Oscar. While Amy Adams, as Dodd's loyal and steely wife, doesn't have the big, showy scenes that her male counterparts do, she may give the finest performance in the film. It's a quiet and under the radar performance of a woman who, on the surface, seems to be merely standing by her man, but under all the layers there is a portrait of a puppet master, controlling all the people around her .

Will you see a better movie this year? I can't be certain. I will praise The Master along with everyone because, like I said, it's a technical masterpiece. It's the kind of film that will stand the test of time and become a classic of this generation. Still, my one big problem with it is this: I walked away not feeling anything at all. And I can't decide if that's a good thing or not. Art for artsake is great, but all great art needs to have feeling too, right? And there just isn't any of that here. So far this year, my favorite movie has been The Dark Knight Rises. It's a good movie, but it's flawed for sure and as far as technicality goes, The Master far surpasses it. Still, The Dark Knight made me feel so many different emotions and most of all, it left me feeling satisfied. I can't say The Master did the same thing.

Grade: A-

Mini Reviews

Every year, I try to watch as many film released within that year as possible, so that at the year's end I have as many films as possible for consideration onto my best and worst lists. So, I've been keeping up with films I missed at the theater or that went straight to DVD through Netflix. Here are some mini reviews for those films.

Being Flynn
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby
Plot: A wannabe writer discovers his deadbeat dad is sort of a loser despite the fact that he claims to be the greatest living American writer.
Thoughts: Solid acting from Dano and DeNiro can't save this cheesy, melodramatic, boring mess of a movie.
Grade: C+

Friends With Kids
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Maya Rudolf, Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Chris O'Dowd, Ed Burns, Megan Fox
Plot: A woman in her upper 30s and her longtime best friend decide to avoid the pratfalls of their friends who got married and had kids and just stay friends and have a kid.
Thoughts: The first two thirds of this movie are an absolute joy. The cast is fantastic and it's genuinely touching and funny and well-written. However, a cliched third act threatens to ruin everything.
Grade: B-

Hick
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Blake Lively, Eddie Redmayne, Juliette Lewis, Rory Culkin
Plot: A young girl realizes she's had enough of her hick family and decideds to run away to Vegas where she plans on finding a rich man. She meets some shady people along the way.
Thoughts: A super mess of a movie, although Moretz is great. But even Juliette Lewis (who really isn't in enough movies these days) and Rory Culkin (the best Culkin!) can't save this mess.
Grade: D+

Innkeepers
Starring: Sara Paxton
Plot: On the last weekend run for a Bed and Breakfast, two co-workers decide to investigate the fact that the place may haunted.
Thoughts: A fairly effective, yet predictable, ghost story. The moments of boredom and the overall lameness is nearly saved by a really great ending.
Grade: C+

Lockout
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace
Plot: In the near future, there is a maximum security prison floating in space. The president's daughter (Grace) happens to be there when a riot breaks out. A conman (Pearce) is sent in to save the day.
Thoughts: Super cliched in just about every way, but also not such a bad way to spend a mindless summer night. Pearce is the saving grace as a smart ass anti-hero.
Grade: C-

Project X
Plot: High schoolers throw the most epic party ever.
Thoughts: It wants to be Superbad or The Hangover, but it's not nearly funny enough to be either. It tries its best to be shocking but that's not enough.
Grade: D+

The Woman in Black
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe
Plot: A young man goes to the English countryside to investigate the death of a woman.
Thoughts: Totally boring and cliched up until about the last 5 minutes when it finally got compelling, but too little too late.
Grade: D

Bachelorette

Bachelorette wants to be the female version of The Hangover, or a much rowdier version of Bridesmaids, but unfortunately if fails on both attempts. While the cast is winning, the overall despicable nature of the characters set it apart from Bridesmaids, where everyone was sort of loveable, and the fact that the jokes fail more times than they succeed set it apart from the hilarious Hangover.

Bachelorette opens with a friendly lunch between Regan (Kirsten Dunst) and Becky (Rebel Wilson). Regan is waxing poetic about how great her life is: she works with children with cancer, she dates a doctor, she's blonde and gorgeous and skinny and ultimately seemingly has the best life ever. Then Becky drops the bomb. She's getting married... before Regan... to a super hot, rich guy. Regan is floored, but her raging jealousy doesn't get in the way of her type A personality in which she needs to control everything and ultimately spends six months planning a fairytale wedding. Fast forward to the night before the wedding, when Regan and Becky are joined by their other two besties from high school - Gena (Lizzy Caplan), a snarky cynic whose life is ultimately a big huge mess, and Katie (Isla Fisher), who does A LOT of cocaine. I mean, A LOT. While at the rehearsal dinner, Katie is more concerned with drinking and doing cocaine, while Gena is concerned with the one who got away. Clyde (Adam Scott) broke her heart in high school and neither one of them really ever got over it. The post-rehearsal dinner bachelorette party hits the skids when the hired stripper accidentally calls Becky "Pig Face" (her high school nickname). Becky gets upset, calls the whole party off and heads to bed. This leaves Regan, Gena and Katie alone with lots of drugs and alcohol and a wedding dress which they ultimately destroy and then spend the rest of the night trying to fix in time for the early morning wedding.

If this movie works at all, it's because of the cast, which is phenomenal. Kirsten Dunst is great as the control freak who wants to help her friend plan the perfect wedding, but doesn't want it to be too perfect, because she's not-so-quietly wishing this was her wedding instead. Isla Fisher is hilarious as the dumb party girl friend who, despite all her faults, has a heart of gold. Adam Scott, who I love so much, is fantastic as the object of Gena's affection. Rebel Wilson is great, but her part is unfortunately too small. I wish the movie had more of her, because she is arguably the only likeable character in the whole film. But the true stand out of the cast, for me, was Lizzy Caplan, who plays dark and damaged and cynical so, so, so very well.

Like I said, it's raunchy and wants to be The Hangover, but it's not nearly funny enough. There are a few funny parts but ultimately, most of the jokes fall short. Also, it doesn't have near enough heart to be like Bridesmaids, which succeeded because it was a very funny movie that celebrated female friendship. These girls are the ultimate mean girls, jealous, insecure and in constant need of putting someone down (in this case, the overweight bride who doesn't feel good enough for her hottie fiancee). While you do get a sense that these girls care about each other a little bit, they ultimately are terrible people who you really can't believe care that much about anything besides themselves.

Grade: C+

Summer Movie Survey

One of my favorite blogs to read about films on line is The Film Experience. Recently, he featured a few different people answering a series of questions about their summer movie going experiences. I thought I'd steal borrow the survey and fill it out myself. Here goes...

Best Movie I Saw This Summer:
The Dark Knight Rises. I'm realizing not everyone loved it as much as I did, but I thought it was a perfect wrap up to the best superhero trilogy of all time. It was a thrilling, intense, dark, but ultimately uplifting film and I couldn't have loved it anymore.

Thing I Actually Learned (at summer movie camp!):
That maybe I was too quick to jump on that whole Blake Lively can really act bandwagon after her turn in The Town because she was certainly the weakest link in Savages.

Major Summer Crush:
Oh, where to start?? Michael Shannon in Premium Rush. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-man. Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman. The entire cast of Magic Mike.

Moment I <3 So Much I Thought My Heart Would Burst:
Beasts of the Southern Wild - Hushpuppy running through that infectious party scene with sparklers. So much beauty, innocence, hope, freedom.

Princess Merida, Katniss, or Hawkeye?
I'm a sucker for Jennifer Lawrence and The Hunger Games so Katniss all the way. We need more strong female characters being represented in young adult films. Women who have to fight for survival and not just lament having to pick over a boring vampire or an even more boring werewolf.

If Only "Hulk" Had Smashed...
Whoever thought that terrible ending for Premium Rush was a good idea. Way to (almost) ruin a perfectly fun late summer movie.

Mash-Up ~ Summer Movie Characters I'd Like to Introduce (and why):
Giovanni Ribisi from Ted and the cast of Magic Mike, because, even though I hated Ted, I loved Giovanni and his super sweet dance moves deserved a much better show case. Girls like skinny semi-creepy dudes, too, you know!

Rank the Magic Mike Strippers:
1. Magic Mike (Channing Tatum)
2. Dallas (Matthew McConaughey)
3. Ken (Matt Bomer)
4. The Kid (Alex Pettyfer)
5. Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello)
6. Tito (Alex Rodriguez)
7. Tarzan (Kevin Nash)

At Least the Theater Was Air Conditioned:
Ted. I think I laughed once, although I can't for the life of me remember why.

Best Old Movie I Saw For The First Time This Summer:
Oldboy. What the hell took me so long?? It was FANTASTIC!

Line Reading That Stuck in My Head:
It's a movie that isn't released yet, but I've seen the trailer so many times and I think it might be the best line of the year... "Why don't you do what old men do - and die." -Joseph Gordon-Levitt from the upcoming Looper.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild is an undeniably beautiful film about a 6 year old named Hushpuppy in a place beyond the levees called The Bathtub. I fell in love with this film immediately. The pre-credit opening scenes are absolutely riveting, a celebration of childhood, innocence and freedom. The sequence of a Southern Bayou party with banjos and fireworks and laughing and dancing is so alive and has so much spirit that you can't help but smile. So, Beasts of the Southern Wild had me from the start.

The story is pretty basic. Hushpuppy, an adorable 6 year old played by Quvenzhane Wallis, lives with her father (Dwight Henry) in The Bathtub. It is outside of the New Orleans levee system and so everytime a storm comes, they get the absolute worst of it. They live in trailers situated basically in the trees and have a whole farm of chickens and dogs and cats and goats. They zoom around the river in a makeshift boat and revel in their freedom. Hushpuppy's dad is trying his best to prepare Hushpuppy for a time when he won't be around. He wants her to be able to take care of herself. He teaches her to fish and cook and to be a beast.

Most of the people living in the Bathtub leave when the coming storm arrives (we are to assume it's Hurricane Katrina, although it's never mentioned by name). However, Hushpuppy and her dad ride out the storm with a small group of others. Their land is devastated afterwards but they rebuild and thrive. Eventually, the story gets off track when they are forced to evacuate and taken into the city where it's difficult for them to assimilate with city dwellers. The story is much more alive when it is in the Bathtub. It's almost like another character of the film. The movie loses a little bit of its magic for the brief time it moves into the city, but it quickly regains it's footing.

The subject matter of the film is absolutely bleak. (Did I mention Hushpuppy's mom is long gone and her dad has a heart condition that is threatening to take his life??). However, this movie is so moving and so beautiful, so well made that it makes up for the depressing subject matter. Wallis is a tiny little star. I know much is being made about the fact that she's just a kid and not a real actress. Director Benh Zeitlin probably fed her all of her lines and is mostly responsible for her performance. That is a fine argument. However, you can't fake charisma and this little, adorable girl carries this film in a way very, very few people can. You immediately care about her and get invested in her feisty spirit. She may be repeating lines and just doing what she is told, but she radiates on that screen, and there's definitely something to be said for that.

I could have done without the actual beasts. I get the symbolism, believe me, but I didn't feel the need to be beaten over the head with it. But overall, this is a vivid depiction of a certain type of lifestyle anchored by two truly fantastic performances.

Grade: B+

Killer Joe

Every once in a while, a movie comes along and you just don't know what to make of it. For me, that movie is Killer Joe. I saw it last night and when I left the theater, I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. Parts of it were so, so very good while others (especially the last 20 minutes or so) were over-the-top ridiculous. I slept on it and I'm still thinking about it this morning (which I guess is a good thing??) but I still haven't made up my mind.

Killer Joe begins with Chris (Emile Hirsch), a two-bit drug dealer and general screw-up who decides the best way to pay off his $6,000 debt to his suppliers is by killing his deadbeat, junkie mom and using her $50,000 life insurance policy as the pay off. The beneficiary is his dimwitted little sister, Dottie (Juno Temple) so he decides to get his trailer park trash dad (Thomas Hayden Church) and his new wife (Gina Gershon) involved. They decide the best and easiest way to go about murder is to hire Killer Joe (Matthew McConaughey), a Dallas detective who moonlights as a hitman. Of course, double crossing and, since this is based on a play from Tracy Letts (Bug, August: Osage County), general third act CRAZINESS (yes, it requires all capital letters) ensues.

Killer Joe is rated NC17, I'm assuming because there is an awful lot of nudity (mostly female, although if you didn't get your fill of McConaughey's backside in Magic Mike then you're in luck!) and even more random and extreme violence. That stuff doesn't bother me. It just seemed sort of out of place. I generally don't like to compare movies but there is a fine line that movies like this and Bug (which sports the same writer and director) walk between acceptable human drama and over-the-top crazy ridiculousness. I think Bug was a far more successful movie at walking that line. The really out there stuff that happens in the third act of Bug seems organic, growing from a natural place. Killer Joe, which has hints of this craziness throughout, just sort of randomly becomes too much at a certain point in the third act. It didn't feel natural at all and it also didn't necessarily serve the plot. Letts is a fantastic writer and of the three things I've seen by him (movie versions of Bug and Killer Joe and August: Osage County on Broadway), I've loved his ability to write characters and dialogue. I also love his gutsiness and the way his work always just GO FOR IT. Something about Killer Joe, the movie, which was also a play, just didn't jive for me.

It wasn't the fault of the cast, that's for sure. The thing that worked most about this movie, in fact, was Juno Temple's crazy adorable performance of Dottie with all her wide eyed innocence and sexual discovery. Temple has been the next big thing for a while now but lacked a big break out role. This performance can surely do it for her. The question is, will people see it and appreciate it? It's not the kind of movie that the average person on the street is going to enjoy, but I'm still hoping this movie benefits Temple's career in a big way. McConaughey is great as well. He's having a banner year and you can argue that this or Magic Mike (or both) are his career best performances. Emile Hirsch is great as well, and it's nice to see him back on the screen in a starring role. Church and Gershon are fine, although not stand outs.

Like I said, there are some fine moments in this movie. Just about every time Juno Temple is on screen, whether she is doing karate or twirling in the street, it's almost impossible to take your eyes off her. There was a particularly well shot scene involving Hirsch being chased by some goons. In fact, the whole movie is well shot and well directed and well acted. It's just that pesky third act that almost ruins the whole damn thing. I don't want to give anything away but believe me when I tell you, it's CRAZY.

Grade: C??? (I really can't decide)

Lawless

A few days ago, I was watching Deliverance. I know what you're thinking - what on Earth does Deliverance have to do with Lawless? And the answer is - not much. But I was wondering why they haven't remade Deliverance yet. I mean, believe me, I think it's a terrible idea, but they have remade just about everything else so it truly surprises me that they haven't done this yet. Then it struck me that there are very few actors these days who are really MEN. And I mean, MEN. Actors these days aren't like Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight. They may be able to act like men, but they aren't really MEN. Then I watched Lawless on Saturday and was remiss at leaving out Tom Hardy. Hardy is most definitely a MAN. When he beats the crap out of a guy in this movie, I have absolutely no doubt that he can do that in real life.

And so Lawless is the true story of the lives of the Bondurant brothers, a group of bootleggers in 1930s Virginia. There is Forrest (Hardy) and Howard (Jason Clarke), the older brothers who are both so bad ass that you wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley. Then there is little brother Jack (Shia LaBeouf), who so badly wants to fit in with his brothers but is more sweet and sensitive than brooding and brawling. Their lives are perfectly fine, supplying moonshine to cops and neighbors and even a gangster (Gary Oldman), until a new deputy comes to town (best in show Guy Pearce) who decides to make their lives a living hell. Throw in Jessica Chastain as waitress / dancer Maggie, who catches Forrest's eye and Mia Wasikowska as preacher's daughter Bertha, who Jack tries to woo, and you've got your movie.

But I should mention Dane DeHaan, who plays Jack's crippled bestie Cricket. DeHaan also blew me away in Chronicle earlier this year and he kills it again in this movie. He surely has to be the most exciting new actor I've seen in years. And that has very little to do with his uncanny resemblance to a young Leonardo DiCaprio. I mean, he looks so much like DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? that I am 65% sure they actually digitally lifted Leo from that movie and superimposed him into this one. DeHaan is definitely One to Watch.

The rest of this cast is stellar as well. With the exception of The Dark Knight Rises, this is probably the best cast of actors assembled in a movie this year. This is the absolute finest work LaBeouf has done. He's always been a fine actor but has been weighted down by making bad movies. Here he truly shows how good he is at giving a layered performance and making a character likable. He has tremendous charisma which is a start. However, no one can upstage Hardy and Pearce here. Hardy is the most intense actor working today. He is completely intoxicating to watch in everything, and especially in this, which might be his finest performance since Bronson. But Pearce is the star of this show. His Deputy Rakes is a sociopathic lunatic, some kind of coiled up snake who is always ready to strike. And it's a joy to watch.

Lawless is a good movie, but unfortunately, I think it thinks it is a lot better than it actually is. Lawless, directed by John Hillcoat, is trying to be some great American masterpiece. It wants to be The Godfather, an epic truly American movie about a family that does bad things to protect each other. Lawless is not The Godfather. It has too many faults. To begin with, it completely wastes Gary Oldman in a thankless role. The roles of the women are terribly one dimensional and trite (Chastain tries her best to make her mark here and she succeeds to a point. I mean, a lesser actress who have been utterly forgettable in this movie). The pace is almost glacial, except during the extreme scenes of violence. That is truly when Lawless shines, when it finds it's niche as this character driven Western with swagger. Lawless fails at trying to be the instant classic movie it wants to be. But that's not to say it isn't a damn good movie with one hell of a cast.

Grade: B