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MOVIE REVIEW: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Amidst the clusterfwagh (sic) that has been finals week in law school, I deservedly take my evening off to watch movies. Although I'm only one down, and three to go, I feel pretty good right now (although it's probably because Criminal Procedure is depressing, and I'm just happy to be done). What you ask was on my docket this evening? None other than 2012's rom-com Oscar darling Silver Linings Playbook. A rather ordinary by-the-books story, but one that's populated with some extraordinary characters and stellar production values.

Former high-school teacher Pat Solitano is fresh out of a Baltimore mental hospital for a violent incident involving his less-than-faithful wife. As a result, he's lost his job, his home, and is estranged from his wife. Moving back in with his hapless mother and overly-superstitious, Eagles-superfan father, Pat sets out to find the "silver linings" in life's difficulties as he makes it his mission to reconcile with his wife. Although a generally optimistic guy, Pat struggles to cope with his bipolar disorder; throwing fits over trivialities like the endings of Hemingway novels, dealing anger management, and his biggest pet peeve: Stevie Wonder's "Ma Cherie Amour". A chance dinner-date at an old friend's house introduces Pat to his friend's sister-in-law, Tiffany, a young, widow suffering from clinical depression and recently-unemployed due to her chronic nymphomania with co-workers. She agrees to help Pat re-connect with his wife, in exchange for entering a dance competition as her partner. Things are further complicated though, by Pat's family obligations.

Playbook is one of those films that falls comfortably in the "quirky" category, but all the characters come off so naturally thanks to David O. Russell's stellar, and improvisation-fueled direction. The leads are irresistibly charismatic. Bradley Cooper, is finally given a chance to show some dramatic range, and allows the audience to establish strong empathy with Pat. It's a great career milestone for a trained actor who was originally known for going to Vegas, stealing Mike Tyson's tiger, and kidnapping a naked Ken Jeong.

And then there's Jennifer Lawrence. Ladies and gentleman, America has a new "sweetheart", and it's come in the form of a curvy, husky-voiced blonde from Kentucky with a hint of social-awkwardness that only makes her verisimilitude shine through her newfound Hollywood trappings. As the film's sole Oscar win, I guess it's fairly deserved for a then-21 year-old who was given a role, several years more mature than her. Still, Lawrence carries Tiffany with great deadpan comic timing and amazing vulnerability that she almost flips like a switch. Her brash, assertive attitude with moments of unanticipated intelligence evoke memories of Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. For the record, I was originally rooting for Jessica Chastain with an upset by Emmanuelle Riva, but after watching, I can see why she became the award-season favorite.

Playbook has touches of melodrama that may potentially annoy some more hardened viewers, such as it's ending. Compared to the book, it also deviates quite a bit from the source material, as far as I can tell. Other than that, I enjoyed Playbook; it's nothing we haven't seen before in terms of the general story, but rather a rare instance of a romantic comedy that doesn't insult my intelligence by demonstrating enough realism, honesty and humor to come off as credible. Could I possibly nitpick anything else? Well...there's the Philadelphia Eagles...haha. Sorry, I'm actually a New York Giants fan. But, whatever...

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

Olympus Has Fallen is everything A Good Day to Die Hard should have been, but sadly was not the case. John McClane could have easily been written in as the main character, complete with his one-liners, and we would've had one of the better films in the series. The comparison is glaringly obvious, because Olympus has been marketed to death as being basically Die Hard in the White House, just as much as Air Force One was Die Hard on a plane. Here, the audience is taken on an incendiary, bullet-riddled tour of the Executive Mansion, and it's crawling with America's latest fear - North Korean terrorists. While the film is marred by being one of the better Die Hard clones, a little suspension of disbelief towards the expected logic holes will leave you in for a fun ride.

Secret Service Agent Banning (who's a dead ringer for Syphon Filter's Gabe Logan) is working a mundane desk job in Treasury security, after the First Lady dies in a tragic accident under his command. The day after Independence Day, his best friend, the President, is hosting the South Korean Prime Minister to discuss protection from their tension-risen North neighbors. Eventually, all hell breaks loose when a Secret Service double-agent and a contingent of North Korean terrorists attack the White House, capture the Executive Branch and the Prime Minister, and wipe out a number of pedestrians and law enforcement on Pennsylvania Avenue faster than you can say "Oppa Gangnam Style." Alerted first-hand to the chaos, Banning infiltrates the White House, and maintains contact with the Speaker - now the Acting President. Holding the President hostage, the terrorist leader begins to torture his staff for clearance codes, leading to a more harrowing scheme than mere ransom. When the threat becomes a race against time, Banning not only sees this as an opportunity to save the President, but redemption as well.

Anyone looking for authenticity in Olympus will be sorely disappointed (and I would laugh); there is no possible way anything like this could happen in real life, unless I'm mistaken and the whole thing was actually directed by Kathryn Bigelow, complete with CIA clearance. Let's face it: It's just an action film. Once you get past that bitter herb of truth, the rest of it's gravy. The opening attack is shockingly brutal; landmarks are desecrated and there's bloodshed aplenty. Performances are stellar, especially with the veteran supporting cast. The action is fairly relentless, some fight scenes are a little under-choreographed, but the brutality makes up for it. When the film shifts gears towards Banning's race against time, all expectations go out the window as you're drawn to the edge of your seat. So ultimately, while the story's nothing new, I welcome anything with a high-concept like "Die Hard in the White House," simply because you know what to expect while watching it. Where Olympus delivers in action and thrills, that's where it succeeds with brio.

And at any rate, it looks like June's White House Down is going to have some big shoes to fill.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

Okay, so, it appears I may not exactly be in agreement with the general consensus who believes John McClane's 5th installment: A Good Day to Die Hard is a complete disaster, but it was a fun way to spend an afternoon. The reality of the matter is, the film is a fairly ordinary action picture that brings nothing new to the table, save for some flashy action sequences. Add some daddy-issues to the mix and you've got some cinematic vodka with a forgettable aftertaste.

Some time after his last adventure, John McClane is in Moscow, expecting to see his son after a fiasco has landed him in court. Unfortunately for both of them, terrorists attack the courthouse, leading McClane Sr. in pursuit of Jr. He then discovers Jack is actually involved with the CIA, charged with protecting one of the terrorists. Eventually, they are led to Chernobyl, where they stumble upon a scheme to unearth billions of dollars vaulted away in an abandoned warehouse - the expected pyrotechnics ensuing.

It could have honestly been any other nondescript action movie, but it just happens to have the Die Hard monniker attached to it. There's nothing particularly ground-breaking or exciting that this film brings to the series, save for one decent car chase and a guy getting killed by helicopter rotors. Bruce Willis is even lacking his memorable spate of one-liners, reduced to a tired running gag where he spats some variation of "I'm on vacation" whenever given the chance. Much of the plot isn't very coherent, but then again, it probably wasn't meant to be.

It's a rather odd scenario when your PG-13 predecessor happened to be a much better movie, and didn't need much of the excesses that this one is dependent on. Off the top of my head: CGI and nearly every Russian stereotype from St. Petersburg to Siberia. Even still, if the screenwriter actually did his homework, he'd realize that Chernobyl is actually in the Ukraine, and a 12-hour drive from Moscow that McClane and son seem to accomplish within an evening. For what it's worth, Die Hard 5 is probably a rental at best, unless you're a fan with relatively tempered expectations.

5/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Last Stand (2013)

Ah, Ahnuld, how the mighty have fallen in the past couple years. Yet while I objectively consider his personal convictions reprehensible, he still knows how to sell me a good action picture. Call me a sucker, but even Snooki has her fervent admirers; I simply pick and choose what is entertaining to me, regardless of what a person's lifestyle dictates. Enter The Last Stand, Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest action picture that's a goofy send-up of what I inferred was high-concept, Die Hard rip-offs that permeated the early 90s. It's nothing groundbreaking, but will fit the bill for those going in who know what to expect.

Ray Owens is a beat-down sheriff of a small, Texas town. When a Mexican drug cartel invades with a cutting-edge, high speed sports car, capable of transcending the border at an incredible rate, Owens needs to band together a ramshackle group of deputies when the FBI leaves them hanging dry in order to take them down.

This is your typical burger-and-fries action picture; I could have honestly waited for this on Blu-Ray with a hackneyed plot that didn't bring anything new to the table; avenging fallen comrades, retribution for past wrongs, and greedy turncoat double-agents, Arnold barely even gives any memorable one-liners. Much of the first half of the movie is pretty meh, but things pick up in spades when the big action spectacle begins. The action delivers in the most over-the-top fashion - bodies are blown apart, a peeved old lady ices a thug with a Colt .45, and there's a lot of the usual, "Jackass" physical humor from Johnny Knoxville. I had a lot of fun watching it for what it was as a casual action fan, everyone else may just want to stick with renting.

6/10

Peace,

MOVIE REVIEW: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Ten years ago, Kathryn Bigelow was known for some cult horror films, big-budget flops, Point Break, and being the ex-wife of James Cameron. In 2009, she sent Hollywood afire with the Iraq war-themed Hurt Locker, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and giving her the distinction of being the first woman to win Best Director - both prizes were even lost by her ex, Cameron, for his work on the ambitious, sci-fi epic Avatar. Three years later, followed by lots of research and ensuing controversy, Bigelow returns with Zero Dark Thirty, an incendiary account of the CIA agent who spent ten years locating the hideout of the new millennium terrorist-at-large, Osama Bin Laden, and the ensuing Navy SEAL operation.

Zero Dark Thirty opens up with a black tableau, solely portraying audio of the 9/11 attacks. Two years later, rookie CIA agent, only known to the audience as "Maya," is brought in to assist with the interrogation of a terrorist, but questions the ethics in which her supervisor handles the punishment. Jessica Chastain delivers a wonderful performance that evokes memories of watching Sigourney Weaver and Jodie Foster in their landmark, '80s roles. As Maya works her way through the annals of CIA information, we are treated to a mystery that unravels like a ball of yarn over the course of two-and-a-half-hours. The investigation begins to visibly affect Maya's social relationships - colleagues are killed, bridges are burnt. She also struggles to convince her male superiors of a huge lead discovered in Pakistan - likely Bigelow's subtle attempt at injecting a strong feminist theme. Eventually, once the writing's on the wall, the story shifts to the fateful SEAL Operation, and becomes the most tense thirty minutes I've seen in a film, yet so far.

In many ways, Zero Dark Thirty is like the "sister" film to it's "brother" Hurt Locker; both explore themes of committed government employees who bear huge responsibilities at the sacrifice of a normal life and a job that constantly challenges their emotions and personal morals. It's no question that Bigelow is a pro at this sort of drama; all the while presenting it in a straightforward, docudrama-like format that evokes the early works of Scorsese. For many, Zero will be a hard pill to swallow - it's a long movie that runs at a brisk pace, but is saturated in Pro-Americanism (warts and all) and entertaining to at the very least, spy film aficionados and political buffs (in other words, my grandmother would be bored or repulsed out of her mind). Regardless, this is living history on celluloid. The controversy regarding the sources where screenwriter Mark Boal drew his sources from may have neutered it's Oscar chances, but it's an important film, and certainly one of the year's best.

9/10

Peace.