The Runaways (directed by Floria Sigismondi, 2010)

The “Runways” is a mediocre telling of the story of the mid 70’s all girl rock band of the same name. It should have been cool but, to borrow a term from a friend, this is a “paint by numbers” film. Even if you know nothing about the Runaways, you can pretty much predict every single plot turn. Of course all band based movies tell a similar tale of sex, drugs, and rock n roll but good biopics should bring you into the psychological and emotional world of the characters. Floria Sigismondi tries to do this but comes up short and/or misses the best opportunities for elaboration. What’s worse is that Sigismondi doesn’t give proper attention to the musical impact of the band and instead focuses on the sexual energy thus making the movie both vague and shallow. “The Runaways” also takes quite a few liberties with the facts as was admitted by band members in a Rolling Stone interview about the movie. This looseness is exacerbated by the fact that the film was only made with the blessing of half of the band’s members.

A note here to the Twi-hards who were mislead by the previews into thinking that this film centered around Joan Jett who is played by their beloved Kristen Stewart (who I admittedly have an unexplainable crush on), it’s not. As far as K-Stew’s performance as Joan Jett, it is thoroughly unremarkable. Stewart does not give Jett the edge and grittiness she warrants and this gives credence to the rumor that the real Joan Jett made Kristen cry on set. At 20, Stewart has plenty of time to grow as an actress but in this case she seemed more like a girl dressing as a rock star than anything else.

The two major bright spots of the film come in the work of Michael Shannon and Dakota Fanning. Shannon is known for his small yet memorable roles and his performance as producer Kim Fowley only adds to his reputation. Fowley is crass, weird, and unlikeable but Shannon makes sure he is thoroughly entertaining. Fanning plays Cherie Currie and is simply dynamite. Dakota Fanning has been getting good press ever since her emotional performance in “Man on Fire” but in “the Runaways” she shows movie fans she’s a big girl now and on the cusp of being something truly special. For someone her age (16) she has an impressive ability to fully embrace a role. This is on display as she plays a young girl with dreams of fame and escape who ultimately is swallowed by drugs. If Ms. Fanning decides to remain in the business long term there is a strong likelihood of an Oscar in her future. The biggest shame of “the Runaways” is that it wraps this interesting performance with an otherwise stale film.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (directed by Werner Herzog, 2010)

Depending on whom you talk to or what you read this movie may or may not be based on Abel Ferrera’s 1992 picture Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel. Having seen both, I can tell you for certain that Terrence McDonagh (Nicholas Cage) is no doubt based on the earlier film even if the plots of the films diverge. Having both of these movies however, it was impossible for me to not compare the two main characters and thus unable to fully appreciate PCNO in its own right.

The good news is Nick Cage is at his wacky and deliberately over the top best and makes this movie worth watching. McDonagh is a painkiller/cocaine/gambling addict who is in love with a high end prostitute (Eva Mendes) who somehow finds time to be a damn good cop. Cage embodies the addict with his frazzled way of thinking and talking, providing moments of great possibly unintentional comedy and tragedy.

Without Cage this movie would be a complete failure. It has no supporting cast at all, with Mendes having nothing beyond a few lines and Val Kilmer who plays Cage’s semi-partner who occasionally attempts to out crazy Cage and falls flat.

Other than putting Cage in the lead this movie does succeed in its choice of New Orleans as its locale. Using a Post Katrina New Orleans may even surpass the grittiness of the 1992 film and its 1980’s New York City backdrop. Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant in the form of Cage definitely does some bad things but they seem explainable and all the while he somehow remains a likeable guy. This a stark contrast to the Keitel character in 1992 that was completely psychopathic and someone you were compelled to root against. Once again, Cage is great and Herzog’s directing style provide some neat moments but overall either as homage or in its own right PCNO comes up way short.

Crazy Heart (directed by Scott Cooper, 2009)

As was the case with an earlier review of Harry Brown, there is little if anything original about Crazy Heart but as with Harry Brown, lack of originality should not be taken as a source of criticism. Some plot formulas are used again and again because they work and clearly the template of the once great individual looking for redemption and battling demons is one of them. It works because a fear of aging 0and/or failure is a very basic and real fear for most people.

In the simplest of terms, you could say that Crazy Heart is merely The Wrestler set to the back drop of country music. For better or worse in the eyes of my generation Jeff Bridges will always be known as “The Dude” but thanks to Crazy Heart, “Bad” Blake may contend for a close second. “Bad” Blake is a past his prime country singer struggling with alcoholism and bitter feelings about the success of his long time protégé Tommy Sweet (played surprisingly convincingly by the very Irish Colin Farrell). As you may have guessed, Bad finds a new start in the form of Jane (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and her young son and attempts to turn his life around.

What keeps this movie from becoming bland is its use of music. While not purely a musical, Crazy Heart would not survive without it’s soundtrack of soul-filled country tunes (a few of which are sang by Farrell and Bridges themselves). The brains behind the movie’s musical program are those of T. Bone Burnett best known for his work on O Brother Where Art Thou. Burnett may be more responsible for the film’s success than that as it was reported that Jeff Bridges would not sign on until Burnett did. Again if you don’t like country music Crazy Heart may not do it for you but these songs are the type that stay with you.

The acting in this movie was solid all around including an under-rated performance by Robert Duvall in his small but powerful role. My only major problem with the story was that the romance between Bridges and Gyllenhaal never really seemed all that believable to me which took a little away from an otherwise very real story. Crazy Heart makes you want to hug Jeff Bridges and drive across the Southwest plains while drinking warm beer and listening to Hank Williams.

Nine (directed by Rob Marshall, 2009)

First and foremost, this film is a musical so if you don’t like musicals you probably are not going to like Nine. If musicals do not turn you off than Nine is a stunning film. Acting virtuoso Daniel Day Lewis plays Guido Contini a legendary Italian film director who finds himself in a creative rut as the deadlines draw nearer for this latest and most ambitious film. Contini is an obvious homage to the real life director Fredrico Fellini and the circumstances surrounding the making of his film 8 ½. This film contains all the glitz and glam of the 60’s Italian film scene. Guido’s internal struggles are symbolized on screen through interactions with a wonderful cast of beautiful women.

Marion Cotillard plays Luisa, the director’s frustrated but loyal wife who knows the business is both killing her husband but also is his reason for living. Cotillard’s vocal talents are on display in the film’s most stirring musical numbers. Penelope Cruz plays Carla, Guido’s impossibly beautiful yet somewhat unstable mistress who oozes with sex appeal and probably secured Cruz the Oscar nomination through her lone musical performance. Nicole Kidman has a bit role as the directors leading lady and Kate Hudson caps off the movie’s sexual energy as an American society reporter obsessed with Contini.

Director Rob Marshall employs a wonderful mix of color and music to capture the fantastic and sometimes bizarre nature of the creative process. If the movie has a flaw it is that the viewer is not always certain what sequences are real and what remains a figment of Contini’s tortured imagination but if you’ve ever seen a Fellini movie (particularly 8 ½) the blurring of this line is in some ways the whole point.

Nine is both sexy and dark and a fitting tribute to a specific era and brand of filmmaking. Day Lewis is good but not at his best but he is more than bolstered by the bevy of beauties around him. Proper due must also be given to performances of heavyweights Sophia Loren and Dame Judi Dench who play Guido’s mother and confidant respectively. They provide an asexual foil to the other women and serve as a reminder to both Contini and the viewer that the most elusive part of success is gaining the approval of those closest to you. For someone who has been at the mercy of the creative process, Nine finds a way to hit close to home but even if you cannot relate to it, watching this movie unfold is supremely entertaining.

Kick Ass (directed by Matthew Vaughn, 2010)

I don’t necessarily know what I expected from Kick Ass but what I saw was not what I expected. Again maybe because I am a comic book novice, I guess I sort of had visions of a screwball comedy with teens trying to be superheroes, and while of course there is an element of that, most of the attempted humor was greeted with a largely silent audience. What surprised me most about Kick Ass was that its greatest merit is probably as an action movie more than anything.

The biggest disappointment of the film is Kick Ass himself (Aaron Johnson). The character is nothing but whiny, plain, and unentertaining. It’s quite possible that this was the intention but it seems a bit curious to bank your whole franchise on a character with so little merit or likable quality. Essentially Kick-Ass is the kind of guy you would have made fun of in high school without ever feeling bad about it later. This may be a bit harsh but my biggest desire during the movie was to punch Kick Ass/Dave Linzewski in the face, luckily this happens repeatedly throughout the story so I was able to derive some guilty pleasure from it.

Luckily for us Kick Ass has a great supporting cast in the form of Big Daddy/Damon Macready (Nicholas Cage) and his deadly daughter Hit Girl/Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz). The interaction between Big Daddy and Hit Girl is both funny and provides the film with a pleasantly touching quality. Nick Cage is great as Big Daddy as he always is when he plays characters that are a bit wacky and he doesn’t take himself seriously. In Hit Girl we find the star of the film. She has a great lovable little sister quality about her (if your little sister was a knife wielding assassin). Big Daddy and Hit Girl are the true ass kickers of this film not only in the ways already described but also in that the they are responsible for the wildly entertaining action sequences sprinkled throughout.

A word is also necessary here in response to the media non-controversy surrounding the profanity and violence exhibited by the supposed to be 10 year old Hit Girl (Moretz is actually 13). Given the buzz around her use of the dreaded C-word I expected this little girl to have a mouth that would make a trucker blush. Hit Girl does certainly use a few words that would get a real 10 year old sent to her room but I generally think media watchdogs need to chill the fuck (HA!) out. I remind you this is an R-rated picture and if you don’t have an understanding of what that may entail keep yourself and your kids out of the theater.

My experience of watching Kick Ass was a perfect example of the phenomena I call “the arc of acceptance”. For the films first third, I strongly regretted having made the trip to the theater, by the second third I was lukewarm, and by the end I decided I was pretty well entertained and even mildly interested in the sequel. See Kick Ass only if your expectations are in the right place and you are intrigued by a 10 year old girl killing bad guys.

Harry Brown (directed by Daniel Barber, 2009)

Think of any vigilante/revenge movie you have ever seen. If it was transported to a London slum and stared Michael Caine it becomes Harry Brown. There is not a single moment in this movie that is original. However, before you take that as a criticism, consider once again every revenge movie you have ever seen. How many of them were anything but completely entertaining? In this regard as well, Harry Brown is no exception.

If you don’t like Michael Caine you should probably not read this blog because clearly you don’t like movies. Caine plays Harry Brown, a recent widower with an “I don’t talk about it,” military background. Sweet Ole Harry is pushed to the brink by the drug addled hoods that terrorize his apartment complex and decides to kick some serious junkie ass. Yes, the idea of a nearly 80 year old man killing and maiming countless street thugs should be absurd but Caine plays the role with an emotion and brutality that somehow makes the whole scenario plausible.

Given the age and accent of Sir Caine there are however a few moments that become intentionally funny. For example, after defeating one particular heinous bad guy, Harry Brown politely informs the dying man “You failed to maintain control of your weapon, sir?” Yes, he said sir. In my mind, Michael Caine can do no wrong and thus neither does Harry Brown.

Iron Man 2 (directed by John Favreau, 2010)

Some movies are best appreciated when you watch them alone in a dark room and let the deep messages wash over you; Iron Man 2 is not one of them. Iron Man 2 is popcorn flick plain and simple and is best enjoyed in a crowded theater with good friends. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark and doesn’t disappoint. Downey Jr. is perfect in this role as he brings a coolness, humor and charm that make Mr. Stark ooze charisma. The film itself follows a basic action movie formula with minimal plot development and survives on bursts of action.

The Iron Man sequel is definitely fun to watch but lacks the brisk pacing of the original and the points of drag where made worse by the fact that I saw it after working 12 hours. My other complaint mostly comes the from the fact that I have never been a comic book guy so while I understand the basics, the characters included in order to set up further sequels or entirely separate comic book based movies seem unnecessary to this movie in and of itself. This is certainly the case with the characters Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson). While Sco-Jo is certainly easy on the eyes, these characters bring little to the movie. Surely the comic book junkies will push back on this but this is just my prospective. Iron Man’s main foe is Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) who is entertaining but mostly under used making me wonder if Rourke’s inclusion was merely an attempt to seize on his post “The Wrestler” buzz.

While some of the characters seem to miss, the biggest home run was Justin Hammer, Starks arms developing rival and backer of Whiplash, played brilliantly by Sam Rockwell. I have read some criticisms of Rockwell’s performance claiming that he was too over the top. This to me seems absurd because the cockiness and hamishness (pardon the pun) of the character is exactly the point and provides the best comic relief of the film. In the second Iron Man film the role of Lt. Col. James Rhodes is taken over by Don Cheadle who serves to give the character much needed personality that was sorely lacking in the first film.

Iron Man 2 will not change your life, but it isn’t supposed to. If you have nothing to do and want to spend 2 hours watching stuff blow up and listening to AC/DC and all the while wishing you were Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man 2 is for you.