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By Vernor Rodgers "SHERLOCK HOLMES" "Sherlock Holmes" at the hands of director Guy ("Rock 'n Rolla" ) Ritchie is both a buddy flick and mystery rolled into one, with a few love-story elements thrown in. Ritchie's style, using slow motion in the action sequences and rapidly edited flashbacks to key scenes, fits snugly into this kind of storytelling. Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes deviates from the tweed-adorned, ubiquitously pipe-smoking depictions of the master detective seen in earlier film adaptations. Downey's Holmes certainly is brilliant, though eccentric, a bit of a misfit and at times socially inept. When not solving cases he seems lost, hunkering down in the room of a house he shares with Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), conducting strange experiments and sometimes just shooting his gun. His room can only be described as organized chaos. As he scolds any visitor who tries to straightening things up: "Everything is in its proper place." There also is an almost slapstick quality to Downey's work that makes his Holmes a kindred spirit to Daffy Duck's Dorlock Holmes in the classic 1956 Warner Bros. cartoon, "Deduce, You Say." Counterbalancing Holmes is the proper Dr. Watson, a man torn between his work as a physician, his desire to wed his beloved Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly) and his seemingly irrational loyalty to Holmes. The case that consumes Holmes involves the evil Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), who is convicted and executed for committing black magic rituals that killed five women. However, Blackwood has risen from the dead and with allies in tow begins a sinister plot leading to world domination. (I've never understood these villains' quest for such power -- the administrative headaches of world domination would drive anyone batty.) The selling points of "Sherlock Holmes" are seeing how Holmes can piece together the clues, and the sometimes strained but inevitably amicable interplay between Holmes and Watson. Another plus is Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler, an adversary/love interest and distraction for Holmes. The "Sherlock Holmes" conclusion obviously sets up for a sequel, which in fact is already in the planning stages. With the "Ironman" sequel due out next year, it will be interesting to see if Downey can hold up two movie franchises. Just one other question regarding "Sherlock Holmes:" Was it ALWAYS cloudy in 19th century England?
It's easy to hate George Clooney. He's a handsome heartthrob and a great actor to boot. Although the recent "Men Who Stare at Goats" featuring Clooney was a disappointment, he has rebounded critically, if not commercially, with "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (voice only) and "Up in the Air." "Up in the Air" writer-director Jason ("Juno") Reitman is receiving accolades for his clever adaptation of the Walter Kim novel, but it is clear that Clooney in the lead role as Ryan Bingham brings this dark comedy and character study to life. To most of us, Bingham has the worst job in the world. He travels all over the country as a representative of a company that is hired by downsizing firms to fire people. Aside from having to deliver devastating, life-altering news to people, Bingham has to deal with the hassles of airline travel. Yet he revels in these aspects of his life. He considers his time at home as "miserable" and seems to truly see himself not as a deliverer of bad news but as a harbinger of a fired person's renewed, more rewarding life. Bingham's personal life is one of non-commitment. He barely maintains a relationship with his sisters, Kara (Amy Morton) and the soon to be married Julie (Melanie Lynskey). He is perfectly content with his on-the-road sexual encounters with another frequent traveler, Alex (Vera Farmiga). The status quo of Bingham's life gets challenged by Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), a young upstart in the company who wins the favor of the boss, Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman), by proposing that the company conduct its business via computer video conferencing rather than in-person terminations, thereby saving on traveling expenses. Naturally, this is a threat to Bingham's comfortable niche. To make things worse, Gregory orders Bingham to take the young Natalie under his wing for a while. Natalie is naïve and takes her lumps, but she also forces Bingham to evaluate his life. Some of Bingham's defense mechanisms begin to break down and he weakens as he lets his emotions creep into his world of practicality and self-reliance. It is a credit to Reitman and Clooney that they stepped back and let the women, Farmiga and Kendrick, shine in a pivotal scene in which they discuss what they want and expect in relationships with men. Clooney has very few lines in the scene, but his silent reactions provide a textbook lesson on effective secondary acting that enhances the work of the major performers in the scene. The tragedy of "Up in the Air" is that it is timely. But with the job market taking a brutal beating the last couple of years, its sub-theme of downsizing does not make it an attractive feature to people who actually have seen their employment disappear. This is a shame because "Up in the Air" is a smartly written and adeptly acted movie that already has earned Golden Globe nominations and no doubt will garner Academy Award nods as well.
Clint Eastwood has had an amazing career. He made his first impression as a television star in "Rawhide." Then he gained international fame as the Man with No Name in the spaghetti Westerns. He broke through as a superstar with his Dirty Harry portrayals in five movies. Now he has established himself as a top director. His directorial debut in 1971, "Play Misty for Me," a chilling story about a disc jockey pursued by a crazy fan, showed promise. Finally, in 1992, his "Unforgiven" propelled him to the top with a Best Director Academy Award. Since then he has shown a steadiness, sitting behind the camera in such films as "The Bridges of Madison County," "Mystic River," "Million Dollar Baby," "Flags of Our Fathers," "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Changeling" and "Gran Torino." With "Invictus," Eastwood has presented his first feel-good movie since "Space Cowboys" in 2000. Teaming up with Morgan Freeman again, Eastwood has crafted a competent film about an inspiring piece of history. Freeman anchors "Invictus" with his portrayal of Nelson Mandela, a man imprisoned in South Africa for more than 20 years who upon his release was elected president of the country. His task was not an enviable one. The scars of apartheid remained. South Africa was staggered by poverty, crime, racial tension and a stagnant economy. Uniting a country so divided was a daunting challenge, and even Mandela's mandate of forgiving his former oppressors was meeting resistance. His first step was gathering a staff that was integrated, including the security crew. However, Mandela was smart enough to know he needed a bigger stage in which to unite his country. So he turned to the national rugby team, hoping it could win the 1995 World Cup. Aside from the problem of the rugby team still seen by many black South Africans as a symbol of the white people, the team itself was not very good. Nevertheless, the captain of the team, Francoir Pienaar (Matt Damon), is invited to have tea with Mandela, whereupon the president tells him that if the team can win the cup, it will prove a unifying force while bringing respectability to South Africa in the eyes of the world. "Invictus" does assume some characteristic of a "Rocky"-like movie about underdog athletes who manage to peak at the right time. But the movie is more than that. Freeman presents Mandela as a man who could have been bitter, but realizes his personal emotions cannot lead a country away from its painful past. We see him engaging in political and diplomatic duties and while he appears to be almost foolishly obsessive over the fate of the rugby team, you can sense that he is maintaining perspective. He seems to know that winning the World Cup in rugby will not solve all the problems. The emotions of the moment might help heal some wounds but many remain. The movie also focuses on the security team, black and white men having to set aside their distrust to develop a unit that will protect Mandela. Meanwhile, Pienaar has his own challenges of charging up a team for what seems like an insurmountable objective. "Invictus" does drag at times. There are three separate scenes in which Mandela goes down the line, wishing each rugby player good luck. The first time it was inspiring, then it becomes redundant. Still, seeing Freeman at work is always a treasure. He has a gift for bringing dignity to every role he plays and is already in line to be honored for this portrayal of Mandela, having picked up a Golden Globe nomination for best dramatic actor. Damon also conveys a sensitivity as Pienaar, a man so moved by Mandela's passion that he pushes himself and his team to incredible heights. Damon also is a Golden Globe nominee, in the supporting dramatic role category. The rugby scenes are well filmed -- yes, slow-motion is employed -- but unless the viewer understands the intricacies of this game, it all seems like chaos.
Freeman and Damon are the only recognizable names in the cast, but there are
some notable performances, particularly by Adjoa Andoh as Mandela's able
assistant Brenda, Tony Kgoroge as Jason, head of the security detail, and
South African native Marguerite Wheatley as Pienaar's wife, Nerine. "THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL -- NEW ORLEANS" Although director Werner Herzog denies his "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call -- New Orleans" is a remake of the 1992 Abel Ferrara police drama "Bad Lieutenant" featuring Harvey Keitel, there are key parallel elements. The main character in both productions is a cop who can do good police work but whose life is undermined by drug and gambling addictions that push him perilously close to being on the wrong side of the law. Nicolas Cage is in his element in Herzog's version, playing a competent detective, Terrence McDonagh, who teeters on the brink of disaster, his life unraveling at a terrifying pace. Ferrara's "Lieutenant" took place in New York City and Keitel's character was not named. He was simply The Lieutenant. As the title of Herzog's film states, McDonagh is based in New Orleans. The film opens in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. McDonagh and fellow cop Stevie Pruitt (Val Kilmer) go to an abandoned, flooded police facility to pull some items from another office's locker. They encounter a lone prisoner, Chavez (Nick Gomez), in a jail cell about to drown. The two cops toy with the panicked prisoner and while Stevie is content to let Chavez die, Terrence has a change of heart and rescues Chavez. As a result he injures his back and is destined to suffer pain the rest of his life. Because of his rescue, McDonagh is promoted to lieutenant and is put in charge of an investigation into the execution-style slayings of a family of Senegalese immigrants, apparently murdered for selling heroin in another drug pin's territory. McDonagh is some piece of work. He constantly snorts cocaine, forces a nervous fellow officer working in the evidence room, Mundt (Michael Shannon), to sneak out confiscated drugs. He carries on with a high-class prostitute, Frankie (Eva Mendez), and makes his bookie Ned (Brad Dourif) nervous by racking up some heavy gambling debts. Still, his investigation makes progress despite little evidence at the crime scene. McDonagh has the killer, Big Fate (Xzibit), in his sights but has to rely on a reluctant teen witness to seal the case. Unfortunately, McDonagh's distractions enable the witness to slip from his custody. The cop's erratic behavior leads to complaints from high-placed people, resulting in an internal affairs investigation. He has to give up his gun and is assigned to the evidence room. Naturally, in a staple of cop dramas, the suspended police officer always manages to get his gun back and continue his investigation without authorization. As the walls close in on McDonagh -- in addition to his immediate crises, he has to deal with his alcoholic father, Pat (Tom Bower), and beer-guzzling stepmother, Genevieve (Jennifer Coolidge) -- he seems to go over the edge. Has he totally flipped out, or is he engaging in brilliant police work? "The Bad Lieutenant" has been labeled by some as a dark comedy. It certainly has some wickedly humorous moments (not to mention some crazy scenes involving iguanas), affording Cage to indulge in some over-the-top moments. For the most part, Cage's sleepy-eyed performance captures the essence of McDonagh, at heart a good man but now ravaged by personal demons. He can be kind and loving, yet brutal -- what he does to an invalid elderly lady is shocking. For all his horrible actions, he comes across as a person who deserves to be redeemed. One message that Herzog and script writer William M. Finkelstein (who wrote episodes of "NYBD Blue," "L.A. Law" and "Law & Order") put across is that a kind act can be reciprocated no matter how irredeemable the person is who committed the unselfish act. Mendes has some good moments as Frankie, who for all her problems does provide a genuine loving core for McDonagh. Dourif is quite effective as McDonagh's exasperated bookie. Kilmer pretty much hovers in the shadow of Cage's performance except for one scene. "The Bad Lieutenant" is a must-see for anyone who likes gritty cop dramas. And for all its similarities to the 1992 Keitel film, thankfully it did NOT duplicate's Keitel's strange bare-all scene.
It is going to be interesting to see how much money "Avatar" is going to make. Sure, it will open huge, but the test will be if it garners the repeat viewers that can propel it into the box office stratosphere. James Cameron is a master at making visually stunning action movies. A lot of directors would salivate at having a filmography like his that includes "The Terminator," "Aliens," "True Lies," "The Terminator 2" and a little historical piece titled "Titanic." With "Avatar" he again has crafted a feast for the eyes. Does "Avatar" have its weaknesses? Of course. The criticisms are legitimate about a using a familiar plot, its weak character development and lack of emotional punch. We also can assume that the love story between the characters Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) will not capture the audience hearts like that of Jack and Rose (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) in "Titanic." The story line borrows heavily from "Dances With Wolves," which in turn was inspired by some of the darker moments in U.S. history. For good measure, Cameron throws in some "Star Wars" mysticism. What makes you squirm is that the villains in "Avatar," the evil aliens, are Earthlings. By the middle of the 22nd century, the planet is dying, depleted of its natural resources. However, a valuable resource called Unobtainium has been discovered on a faraway moon named Pandora. Thus a military-industrial facility has been set up there to mine this vital compound. Trouble is, the planet is inhabited. The Na'vi are pretty much the ruling species -- about 10 feet tall with translucent blue skin, three fingers on their hands and showing some of the best gravity-defying choreography captured on film since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The Na'vi are the Pandora version of Native Americans, who lived for centuries in harmony with their environment only to be decimated by the progress of civilization that dismissed them as savages. The avatars of the title are gene-generated Na'vi-resembling surrogates of three people who serve as the conscience for the Earthlings. Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver in one of her best roles in years) is the genius behind the avatars, a chain-smoking, wise-cracking scientist who only tolerates the corporation-military muscle behind the project because it is what provides the opportunity for her research of Pandora. The second avatar is Augustine's somewhat nerdy assistant, Norm Spellman (Joel Moore), who could have offered some comedy relief had Cameron provided some for him. The third avatar is the key character here: the aforementioned Jake Sully. A former Marine now wheel-chair bound, Sully is drafted into the avatar project in place of his twin brother, a scientist who has been killed. Sully comes from a long line of screen characterizations of the vital person who will be forced to gain trust, face moral dilemmas, be moved by love and tasked into heroic leadership. At first, Sully's loyalty is to Col. Miles Quaritch, a Marine's Marine -- a composite of Gen. Patton and Col. Kilgore of "Apocalypse Now." Quaritch is played by Stephen Lang, a terrific chameleon-like actor finally getting a high-profile showy role. Lang can assume that crazed, sinister gleam of a man who you know is going to turn what is supposed to be an objective military operation into a personal vendetta. Lang as Quaritch and Weaver as Augustine offer the only real memorable characters, along with Michelle Rodriguez as adept pilot Trudy Chacon . Saldana as Neytiri provides the limited emotional power, struck by feelings of ambivalence over Sully, whom she at first calls a "baby" but believes he has a strong heart and a connection to Pandora. Reluctantly she has to serve as a Yoda-like master to Sully, enlightening him about the shared energy of all living things on Pandora (was not this called "The Force" a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?). Her feelings for Sully grow. Then she feels betrayed and has to come around to trusting him again.
Giovanni Ribisi has the thankless and tired role as Parker Selfridge, the
corporate figurehead whose only compassion is an eye on profits. I wonder if
Cameron's naming this character Parker was a salute to Weaver's Ripley
"Alien" role, wherein she had her run-ins with fellow Nostromo crewmember
Parker (Yaphet Kotto), also a man whose main concern was making money.
Inevitably things get nasty. Sully's loyalties change. Augustine's attempts
at gaining some diplomatic solutions fail, giving Quaritch carte blanche to
use all the military hardware at his disposal to either drive out or destroy
the Na'vi. So we have a battle that rivals the Ewoks vs. Empire struggle
that wrapped up the "Star Wars" saga in "Return of the Jedi" -- the natives
using their so-called primitive weapons and the natural resources of their
environment against a supposedly technologically superior adversary. Gee,
you There is no denying that "Avatar" is a great movie experience, although at nearly three hours requires a commitment and may make the young viewers antsy. It may not pack much of an emotional wallop, but its main star, Pandora, carries it well. Return to DaBelly |