© 2012 Ray Wong
Zero Dark Thirty
The biggest manhunt in recent history has been brought to you by the filmmakers who gave us the Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker. Given all the award buzz surrounding Kathryn Bigelow's newest film, I can't help but feel rather underwhelmed by the actual movie.
After 9/11/2001, Maya (Jessica Chastain), a CIA analyst, is recruited in a mission to track down Osama Bin Laden. Working within a team of field operatives, which includes Dan (Jason Clarke) and Jessica (Jennifer Ehle), Maya has to work with limited information provided by captured terrorists through unspeaking means such as torture and coercion. Even then, Maya has to use her judgment to discern which pieces of information is valid, and connect the dots as she goes along.
The manhunt turns into a decade-long obsession for Maya. Her boss, Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler), has better things to do, thus leaving Maya and her team to do whatever is necessary. Maya's investigation leads her to a man named Abu Ahmad, who she believes is a covert courier for Bin Laden. She believes that if they can find Ahmad, they will find Bin Laden.
Unfortunately for Maya, her instincts and ability are met with scrutiny and resistance from within her own organization. But Maya believes she is right, and after a tragedy strikes, Maya's quest becomes even more personal for her. Against all odds and obstacles, and after almost 10 years working solely on this mission, Maya realizes she has now found Bin Laden.
Jessica Chastain (The Help) is an amazing actress. Maya is a resourceful, intelligent, and headstrong character that Chastain takes no time to sink her teeth into. Maya has a job to do and she delivers. Same with Chastain -- her demeanors could be construed as brash, unapologetic and yet she can also be doubtful and vulnerable. Chastain did a remarkable bringing the character to life and carrying the movie, even though the story doesn't allow a glimpse to her personal life, thus making her character somewhat one sided.
Jason Clarke (Lawless) is Dan, a CIA operative who works closely with Maya. Clarke also does a good job portraying someone who has a job to do and will do anything to get it done. Both their characters hover on the border of moral rightness, but they also know that the end will justify the means. Jennifer Ehle (The King's Speech) is effective as Maya's coworker who is too emotional, as opposed to Maya, to do her job.
The large supporting cast includes Kyle Chandler (Argo) in an adequate performance as Maya's boss, but I have trouble distinguish this with his character in Argo. Mark Strong (John Carter) has a brief but strong performance as George, one of those men up the chain of power. James Gandolfini (Killing Them Softly) is interesting as the Director (they never said his name, but we all know he plays David Patraeus). Rounding out the cast is Chris Pratt (The Five Year Engagement) and Joel Edgerton (The Odd Life of Timothy Green) as members of the SEAL team that finally nailed Bin Laden.
Written by Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) based on extensive research and declassified information, the screenplay is a taut exercise of procedural thriller. Almost no dialogue is wasted in this tight but long story (at over 2 1/2 hours), and there isn't a lot of room for anecdotal character development. The result is a fascinating and precise drama/thriller in the vein of David Fincher's Zodiac. The trouble with that kind of movie is that it lacks the emotional impact of a character-driven drama. At times, I caught myself thinking, "This is slick and great, but it's like a really good but long episode of CSI."
Don't get me wrong, under Kathryn Bigelow's (The Hurt Locker) direction, the movie is captivating. Bigelow and Boal also make no judgment for or against the controversial topic of torture. The movie makes a clever and deft reference to the "transition" as the Bush era ends and Obama becomes the President, but they never linger or make apologies. What is depicted on screen is a group of people dedicated to their job: to protect the American people, and to find Osama Bin Laden.
As masterfully made as it is, Zero Dark Thirty lacks the emotional connection that a strong thriller/drama about such an important mission should have. What has transpired often feels too calculated and cold. We really don't know much about these characters except for what they do on the job. We get a glimpse of Maya's personal life (or the lack of), but not enough to form a complete picture of her character. Even the famous conclusion of the story, I find myself unable to connect or empathize. What we get is a great procedural thriller that no one needs to see twice.
Stars: Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, James Gandolfini, Chris Pratt, Joel Edgerton
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: Mark Boal
Distributor: Columbia
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, brutal images, language
Running Time: 157 minutes
Ratings:
Script - 7
Performance - 8
Direction - 8
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound - 7
Editing - 7
Production - 8
Total - 7.6 out of 10.0
© 2012 Ray Wong
As star Hugh Jackman said, Les Misérables is the Mt. Everest of all musicals. Possibly one of the most beloved musicals of all times, the film version is long overdue (27 years to be exact). Under the risk-taking direction of Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper (King's Speech), the film is a triumph is many ways.
The story follows the protagonist, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) from the time he was on parole after serving a 20-year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread. Downtrodden, Valjean decides to steal from a priest (Colm Wilkinson) and gets caught, but the priest's act of kindness opens Valjean's eyes to the meaning of love and respect, and he vows to use the priest's gift to start anew. Valjean breaks parole and disappears, and Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) vows to track down and bring Valjean to justice.
Years later, Valjean becomes a factory owner and mayor of a small town under a fake name. Due to his negligence, a worker of his, Fantine (Anne Hathaway) is tossed out on the street. Fantine later succumbs to prostitution and becomes very ill. Knowing what he did, Valjean vows to dying Fantine that he will take care of her daughter Cosette (Isabelle Allen).
Eight years later, the students in Paris are staging a revolt against the oppressive government. One of the students, Marius (Eddie Redmayne), however, is smitten by Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), now a beautiful young lady. Their young love, however, is cut short when Javert is hot on Valjean's trail again. When Marius is wounded at the barricade during a battle, Valjean risks his freedom and saves Marius. Through Marius and Cosette, Valjean finally finds the meaning of true love and salvation.
Hugh Jackman (The Prestige) is arguably one of the few actors who can play Valjean in this film musical. Known as an action hero and a romantic leading man, Jackman also has the musical theater training to prepare him for the role of a lifetime. His Valjean is physically impressive but soulful and gentle and virtuous. Jackman gives an affecting and sincere performance and anchors the entire film. As his antagonist, Russell Crowe (The Next Three Days) has taken a different approach to playing the famous inspector. Here, Crowe gives Javert a soul and the kind of vulnerability you don't expect. His rock-opera singing voice may not be the best in the cast, but Crowe's nuanced performance is a welcome interpretation.
Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises) is the standout here, what with her dedication to playing the doomed, tragic Fantine. She's given a tour-de-force performance and in just one show-stopping number, I Dreamed a Dream, Hathaway has propelled herself as the frontrunner in this year's Oscar race, and deserves all the accolades she's been getting. Likewise, Eddie Redmayne (My Week with Marilyn) surprises and delights as the love-sick Marius. Redmayne has a beautiful voice, but more important, he brings a boyish, innocent charm and deep emotions to the often underwritten role (at least on stage).
Equally underwritten in the stage musical is Cosette, often serving as a plot device rather than a true character. But Amanda Seyfried (In Time) manages to give her a voice and make us believe that she is the light for Fantine, Marius and Valjean. Samantha Barks is also excellent as Eponine, the poor girl who is secretly in love with Marius. Sasha Baron Cohen (Hugo) and Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech) give the serious film much needed comic relief as the Thenardiers.
Adapted from the popular musicals, which itself is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel, the screenplay actually is better developed than the book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. William Nicholson (Gladiator) has done a fine job matching the musical with Hugo's original material, making small and big changes that make the story more sensible and, in many ways, more gritty and real than the musical spectacle. For example, Fantine's descent to her despair is now more evident and believable.
Still, the material has to work with the confine of the musical structure. Director Tom Hooper has made some risky decisions that may or may not have worked, depending on who you ask. The die-hard fans may have trouble understanding or accepting the changes he made, and people who are not familiar with the musical may not understand his vision. The most important decision Hooper made was that he insisted on the actors singing live, instead of lip-synching to pre-recorded soundtracks. The result is an amazingly emotional roller-coaster ride as the actors are free to make their acting choices while singing live.
To enhance that emotional impact and be even more "up close and personal," Hooper chose to film the actors, especially during their solos, with close ups and unconventional camera angles. The result may not be completely pleasing -- in fact it may unnerve many people who are not used to such cinematic techniques -- but the close ups and strange camera work heighten the emotions to a level that is almost overwhelming. For example, the unflinching long single-shot close-up of Anne Hathaway's I Dreamed a Dream is overpowering, and the Dutch angles and fast editing during the Lovely Ladies sequence made me uncomfortable and feeling queasy, exactly the way I should be feeling. Despite some missteps (the frantic editing may not always work), Tom Hooper is a genius.
Les Misérables does have its flaws. It's not a perfect film by any means. It's not going to convert non-musical audiences to avid fans. It may not please the die-hard fans of the stage show. Tom Hooper's unconventional direction may irk some people who expect a sweeping epic. But despite all that, Hooper has succeeded in bringing the two forms -- musical and film -- together on an epic, larger-than-life scale that offers both the intimacy and sweeping vistas that the stage show cannot. It's an emotional ride with a rousing score and a beautiful message. It's les incredible!
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Sasha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Aaron Tveit
Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: William Nicholson (based on musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, novel by Victor Hugo)
Distributor: Universal
MPAA Rating: R for suggestive and sexual material, violence, thematic elements
Running Time: 157 minutes
Ratings:
Script - 8
Performance - 9
Direction - 8
Cinematography - 9
Music/Sound - 9
Editing - 7
Production - 8
Total - 8.2 out of 10.0
© 2012 Ray Wong
We can always count on Judd Apatow, the guy who gave us The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, for a good laugh. But Mr. Apatow's racy comedies are always more than just being raunchy. In fact, I can tell that This is 40 is the most personal movie he's made so far.
Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) are a happily married couple with two young daughters living in Los Angeles. Both of them are turning 40, within a week, and both of them are trying to cope with it. Debbie's main concerns are her aging body, her slowly slipping happiness, and her marital life. Pete's main concerns are his flaccid career as a music label owner, his boring family life, and his libido. Rather typical, mundane "white middle-class" problems, right? But everything seems to escalate as their respective birthdays approach.
They argue more and more, often over tiny, mundane things. Debbie believes that Pete is not attracted to her anymore, and Pete is so afraid of Debbie's judgment that he's hiding his problems from her. A lot of tension starts to build between them. Fortunately, to celebrate Debbie's birthday, they are able to take a short break away from it all and rekindle some of the love and magic between them. But as soon as they return home, reality hits even harder.
As Pete's business continues to falter and he gets more and more distracted by his problems, Debbie becomes more and more depressed about herself and her family. They are both under a lot of pressure but they don't seem to be able to communicate and connect and work it all out. Then they decide to blame everything on their children and respective fathers (Albert Brooks and John Lithgow).
Paul Rudd (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) has that market of affable guy-next-door type cornered. As the family man who is facing his mid-life crisis, Rudd is his usual charming, goofy self with a nice dose of snark and indifference to make him a jerk, too. There's a fine line between sympathetic and unlikable, and Rudd traverses that line rather skillfully. Leslie Mann (The Change-Up) can be whiny sometimes, but she does her best here as she tackles a complex character who is rather disillusioned about how her life turns out.
It's interesting that Apatow has cast Maude and Iris Apatow, the real-life daughters of Leslie Mann and his, as Pete's and Debbie's daughters. It clearly is a family affair -- if only Judd Apatow would play Pete instead of Paul Rudd. The girls are rather good as the slightly spoiled but mostly responsible daughters. To complete the family picture, Albert Brooks (Drive) and John Lithgow (New Year's Eve) play Pete's and Debbie's paternal units respectively, having done their respectable job portraying these irritating and unlikable characters.
The cast also includes Jason Segel (The Five-Year Engagement), Megan Fox (Friends with Kids), Chris O'Dowd (My Sister's Sister) and Charlyne Yi (All About Steve) in small supporting roles.
Writer-director Judd Apatow's signature style is evident in this production, right from the very first scene. There's no shortage of raunch and adult situations in his comedies. The fact that his wife and children play the wife and children of Pete makes me wonder if the story is highly autobiographical. In a way, This is 40 is very personal in nature, filled to the brim with everyday situations, mundane details and anecdotal episodes of life. And in a way, this is Apatow's most accessible, yet "mundane" offering so far.
The dialogue is sharp and witty and funny, of course, and many moments will make us chuckle. Still, because the movie covers so much "everyday materials" that sometimes it feels tedious and exhausting. Parents, however, may get a kick out of the situations and relate -- having to deal with our children and parents, while contemplating what life is about and how to be happy in the confine of our responsibilities and desires. Apatow tackles many deep and broad themes here. Sometimes he succeeded. Sometimes he failed.
As a comedy, there is no shortage of laughs and uncomfortably funny situations. As a drama, there are certainly deep themes and serious topics. As a combination of both, at times the movie drags and becomes very unfocused, especially with a slew of supporting characters that don't necessarily add to the plot. Things become muddled, before Apatow steers the ship clear again and delivers a rather heartfelt, if a bit too simplistic, ending.
This is the second time that Judd Apatow tackles the question of being 40. It seems like a rather significant point in his own life. The result is something personal, funny, insightful but also unfocused and uneven.
Stars: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Jason Segel, Megan Fox, Chris O'Dowd, Albert Brooks, John Lithgow
Director: Judd Apatow
Writer: Judd Apatow
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, crude humor, pervasive language and some drug material
Running Time: 134 minutes
Ratings:
Script - 7
Performance - 7
Direction - 7
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound - 7
Editing - 7
Production - 7
Total - 7.0 out of 10.0
© 2012 Ray Wong
How could director Sasha Gervasi (Anvil: The Story of Anvil) do a sort-of biopic about one of the most iconic directors of all times? Ask Oscar-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins to play Alfred Hitchcock, of course.
Hitchcock in a way is less of a biopic but more of a behind-the-scene movie about the making of Hitchcock's seminal horror film, Psycho. On the keel of the success of North by Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) is deemed too old to repeat that success. Indignant of that notion (he is, after all, only 60 years old) and defiant of his perceived limitation, Hitchcock is determined to shock the world when he comes across the novel Psycho. The director is fascinated by the subject matter, even as his wife Alma (Helen Mirren) and financial backers deem it too violent and grotesque. Instead, Hitchcock decides to put his own money into making the movie, by mortgaging his estate.
Hitchcock hires blond bombshell Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson) as the leading lady and a relative unknown Anthony Perkins (James D'Arcy) as the leading man in his new film. He also includes Vera Miles (Jessica Biel), with whom Hitchcock has a complicated history, to play a role. The eccentric director is under a lot of stress, even with the support of his loyal agent Lew Wasserman (Michael Stuhlbarg), assistant Peggy (Toni Collette) and of course devoted wife and creative partner.
In fact, Hitchcock is so wrapped up in his film and personal drama -- and his strange obsession with his leading ladies -- that he ignores Alma. Frustrated with the lack of affection and attention, Alma seeks solace in a new friend, dashing writer Whitield Cook (Danny Huston). Alma and Whitfield are working on Whitfield's new screenplay, but Hitchcock suspects they are having an affair. When Hitchcock confronts his wife, she unleashes her pent-up resentment and threatens to upset their rocky marriage.
Sir Anthony Hopkins (Thor) goes under extensive make-up and dons a full-body fat suit to look like Hitchcock. In a way, he doesn't really look like the iconic director, but Hopkins does wonder with his voice and body language to convey the essence of one of the most recognizable figures in movie history. Helen Mirren (Arthur) looks nothing like the real Alma Reville, but Mirren gives Alma a distinct voice and personality and fire.
Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers) does her best portraying Janet Leigh and by and large she's captured Leigh's effervescent personality. Toni Collette (Mental) is sharp as Peggy, Hitchcock's right-hand woman who has to navigate through the men's world of Hollywood. Michael Stuhlbarg (Lincoln) is earnest as super agent Wasserman, and Danny Huston (Stolen) is savvy as Alma's potential love interest, and Biel (Total Recall) is delightful as Ms. Vera Miles. But James D'Arcy (Cloud Atlas) bears an uncanny resemblance of Anthony Perkins in looks and mannerism that it is rather unnerving.
Written by John J. McLaughlin (Black Swan), the screenplay uses the making of Psycho as a backdrop for the personal drama between Hitchcock and Alma. In a way, it really is a love story between the famed director and his lesser-known wife. In every way, Alma is Hitchcock's equal partner in both his personal and professional life, but so little is known about Alma Reville that McLaughlin has to do a lot of research. Even though it is personal in nature, the screenplay is light and breezy in tone, and pays great homage to the men and women who made Psycho a reality.
Oscar-winning documentary-maker Sasha Gervasi ventures into scripted drama and does an adequate job. His direction is straightforward and no-frill. The camera work and color palettes may seem bland at times, but Gervasi uses his documentary skills well when re-creating the sets of Psycho. There is somewhat surrealism watching these famous actors playing other famous actors making a famous movie.
Unfortunately, Hitchcock is too lightweight and comical to be a serious contender in this upcoming award season, even though the cast, Hopkins and Mirren in particular, has given commendable performances. Still, the movie is a delight, and it's entertaining. It gives us a bit more insight into Hitchcock's life, especially with regard to his wife, and it is fun to watch. I think Alfred Hitchcock himself would have approved.
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jessica Biel, James D'Arcy
Director: Sasha Gervasi
Writers: John J. McLaughlin (based on book by Stephen Rebello)
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content and thematic material
Running Time: 98 minutes
Ratings:
Script - 7
Performance - 8
Direction - 7
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound - 7
Editing - 7
Production - 8
Total - 7.3 out of 10.0
