Philomena

© 2013 Ray Wong

Based on Martin Sixsmith’s article “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee,” Philomena is a “human interest story” that touches on many serious themes including the taboo subjects of religion and the Catholic church. Ultimately, it’s the story of one woman’s redemption and forgiveness, and a man’s journey to rediscover himself.

Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) is a high-profile journalist who has just been fired from his high-profile public job. Not knowing what to do with himself, he gets a lead on a “human interest story” that at first he thinks is beneath him. But the subject matter, and the main character of the story, Philomena, intrigues him. With a little encouragement from his editor, he decides to take on the project.

It turns out that Philomena (Judi Dench), has been keeping a secret for 50 years. As a teenager, Philomena was taken in by the sisters of Rosecrea after her parents had abandoned her. Unfortunately, Philomena “sinned” with a man and became pregnant. Eventually the convent adopted her young son Anthony to a couple and Philomena never saw Anthony again. Now she wants to find out what happened to Anthony. Martin agrees to help her find Anthony in exchange for her story.

Martin finds out that Anthony was adopted by an American couple, and their research leads him and Philomena to America. Through their journey, Martin comes to know more about Philomena and regards her as a kind but naive, ignorant simpleton. Philomena thinks of Martin as rude, snobbish and opportunistic. And yet the story of her son binds them together. Martin tracks down Anthony, who was renamed as Michael, became a lawyer and worked at the White House. But the truth about Anthony/Michael soon devastates Philomena.

Judi Dench (Skyfall) is of course amazing as Philomena (Sophie Kennedy Clark plays the younger version). She dominates the movie in every scene she is in. Through her, we experience the agony, guilt and shame of a mother who is the victim of her faith and circumstances. We come to care about Philomena deeply, in part because of her heart-wrenching story, but in part because of Dench’s soulful performance.

I have never been a fan of Steve Coogan (Ruby Sparks) until now. As Martin Sixsmith, Coogan exudes this seriousness of a man who is confused about his life. Certainly Coogan’s sense of humor is still evident in his characterization, but his restrained and refined performance is rather unexpected. And he more than holds his own against the sublime Judi Dench.

The supporting cast is solid. Special mention to Barbara Jefford (The Deep Blue Sea) as Sister Hildergarde, a misguided soul whom we can’t quite sure whether to hate or pity. Sean Mahon (Dark Shadows) plays Philomena’s adult son in mostly flashbacks, and Peter Herman (Trouble with the Curve) is affecting as a key person in Anthony’s life.

Co-written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope (The Security Men), the script stays rather true to the article and true events, but in a cinematic format of course. The plot unfolds gradually and naturally. It also focuses on the characterization and relationship of Philomena and Sixsmith — it is as much a story about Philomena and the journalist who is doing this for his own gain. While the screenplay does falter at times with pacing problems, these flaws are minor compared to the careful characterization, the deliberate mystery, and how the relationships are developed so naturally.

The direction of Stephen Frears (The Queen) is also solid. There is calm in Frears’ direction that stabilizes the rather frazzled nature of Philomena’s and Sixsmith’s journey. Frears walks a fine line in dealing with the emotional material, often successfully avoiding the melodramatic nature of such deeply tragic stories. Specifically, Frears lets the production fall away so we can focus on the characters.

As it turns out, Philomena  is a deeply moving and interesting story about many things: motherhood, guilt, religion (i.e. the Catholic faith), ambition, reconciliation, forgiveness and redemption. More important, it is a love story. It is a story about the love between a mother and her child, the love between two complete strangers, and the love for the truth. 

Stars: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Mare Winningham, Barbara Jefford, Peter Herman, Sean Mahon
Director: Stephen Frears
Writers: Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope (based on article by Martin Sixsmith)
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language, thematic materials and sexual preferences
Running Time: 98 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 8
Performance - 9
Direction - 8
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound - 8
Editing - 7
Production - 7

Total - 7.8 out of 10.0 

About Time

© 2013 Ray Wong

At first glance (and as the trailers would tell us), About Time is a romance with a time-traveling twist. In reality, it is really a love story — and not just about romantic love. It is a fable about love and life in general.

After his 21st birthday, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) gets the surprise news of his life from his father (Bill Nighy): all the men in their family have the ability to time travel. While most men in his family tended to misuse the super power (for money, for fame, etc.), Dad has found the secret, but he wants Tim to figure it out for himself. For Tim, everything has always been about love.

Tim eventually moves to London to start a new life as an adult, and he meets beautiful and kind Mary (Rachel McAdams). When he accidentally erases Mary from his life because he used his time travel to help his friend Harry (Tom Hollander), Tim time-travels again to fix his misfortune. While Tim succeeds in getting Mary back and their lives on track again, he discovers that his time traveling has consequences; and that he cannot make someone fall in love with him, and that he cannot fix all his problems. As Dad is dying from cancer, Dad delivers one last advice to Tim on the secret of happiness.

Domhnall Gleeson (Anna Karenina) is quite a chameleon as an actor. As Levin in Anna Karenina, Gleeson was handsome and rugged at the love-sick farmer. As Tim, however, Gleeson looks incredibly young (playing a 21-year-old, no less), naive and — once again — love struck. Gleeson has an ease to his performance, exuding a nervous, shy and uncertain lad who, with a little bit of practice, can achieve great things. Gleeson’s non-nonsense performance is the reason why we like Tim so much to follow his bizarre journey through time and life.

This is the second time Rachel McAdams (Passion) appears in a “time traveling” love story, and this time it is a much lighter role as the object of Tim’s affection. McAdams excels in being the sweet girl next door, and her chemistry with Gleeson is just right to pull off the relationship, which can sometimes seem a bit thin. Bill Nighy (The World’s End) is fantastic as Dad — a whimsical, humorous and yet warm and lovely family man.

The supporting cast is strong with Lydia Wilson (Never Let Me Go) as Tim’s free-sprit sister, Lindsay Duncan (Last Passenger) as Tim’s strong and resilient mother, and Tom Hollander (The Invisible Woman) as a self-absorbed, narcissistic playwright.

Written and directed by Richard Curtis (War Horse), the film definitely has a light, whimsical fable feel to it. Even the characters seem to be more quirky than usual. Curtis decides to keep the story focused on love itself (as “time traveling” stories can go in so many different directions). The result is somewhat unbelievable at first (who, while processing the ability of time traveling, would not at least try to get a better job or a tip in the stock market?) But once we suspend the disbelief, the story gains on us.

It’s not to say the plot and characters are without their conventional and trite trappings. There are some rather blatant cliches; and plot holes are all but inevitable in a story about “time traveling.”  For example, one of the rules is that one cannot travel past the birth of a child, and yet at one point, Tim and his father travel to a time before his sister was born (or any of his own children). Such inconsistency, however, does not mar the general quality of the story, which really isn’t about time traveling anyway.

In fact, time traveling becomes almost a metaphor, as Tim continues to learn and understand what life and love mean to him. I think that’s the sweetest thing about this movie — it has a very sweet, almost innocent look at life and love, and I find that rather refreshing in today’s cynical world. And that may be the film’s biggest flaw — just not cynical and bitter enough for today’s audiences. For me, it’s about time we have something so pure and fun, sometimes almost magical.

Stars: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Richard Cordery, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie
Director: Richard Curtis
Writers: Richard Curtis
Distributor: Universal
MPAA Rating: R for language, sexual content
Running Time: 123 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 7
Performance - 8
Direction - 7
Cinematography - 8
Music/Sound - 8
Editing - 8
Production - 7

Total - 7.7 out of 10.0 

Dallas Buyers Club

© 2013 Ray Wong

Based on a true story, Dallas Buyers Club chronicles a Dallas man’s plight against the FDA to save his own life while trying to make a difference for a change.

Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is a electrician who moonlights as a rodeo cowboy in Dallas. After being sent to the hospital for a work-related incident, Ron is diagnosed with AIDS. Neither an intravenous drug user or a homosexual, he refuses to believe he’s contracted the gay plaque. But evidence eventually proves him wrong, that he does have AIDS, and according to Dr. Sevard (Denis O’Hare), Ron has only a month to live.

Desperate to survive, Ron at first steals the experimental drug AZT from the hospital. When that supply dries up, he ventures to Mexico to seek alternative treatments. There, he learns that AZT is poison and will eventually kill him regardless whether he has AIDS or not, and that there is a “cocktail” of unapproved drugs that actually works. Driven by greed at first, Ron smuggles the drugs back to the US to sell for profit. With the help of a transvestite named Rayon (Jared Leto), Ron quickly expands his client base. The more he sells the drugs to the “homos” such as Rayon, the more he realizes how utterly ignorant and homophobic he is.

Soon, though, the FDA catches on and tries to stop Ron from doling out these drugs. They confiscate his supplies and threatens to arrest Ron for illegal drug trafficking. But Ron finds a way and starts a subscription-only program called the Dallas Buyers Club, so technically speaking he is not selling drugs — he is selling memberships. And Ron is the living proof that the drugs work! Business is brisk, and Ron begins to realize that despite his intention and narrow views, he is actually helping people while the FDA, funded by the big US pharmaceuticals, are killing people. Unwittingly, Ron takes the FDA in his crusade to make the drugs available to those in need.

Matthew McConaughey (Mud) has always been one of Hollywood’s new, prominent method actors, and for the role of Ron Woodroof, McConaughey physically transforms himself by losing so much weight that he’s almost unrecognizable as the hunky movie star. Mentally and emotionally he also transforms himself into a man who is unrefined, crude, and homophobic. Ron Woodroof is not a likable character by any stretch, but McConaughey makes it work and make us sympathize with Ron, who is a seriously flawed man but finds his purpose via a tragic personal event. McConaughey’s performance is both physically and spiritually transformative, and will likely get an Oscar nomination.

Jared Leto (Mr. Nobody) also loses significant weight and dons dresses and makeup to play transvestite Rayon. Leto matches McConaughey’s intensity and humor to give a tour-de-force performance as one of the film’s most likable and sympathetic characters. Jennifer Garner (The Odd Life of Timothy Green) has a harder job with her morally ambiguous role as Dr. Eve Saks, but she fares well. Supporting cast also includes Denis O’Hare (J. Edgar) as a corporate-friendly doctor, and Steve Zahn (Escape from Planet Earth) as a cop friend of Ron’s.

The screenplay by Craig Borten and Melissa Wallack (Mirror Mirror) is heavily character-driven. The plot amounts to a series of character movements and mishaps, but the core of the story lies in the relationships between the characters, specifically between Ron and Rayon, two unlikely friends. The screenplay has the difficult job of making us like Ron Woodroof, but through a series of careful character development and the lead actor’s heartfelt performance, they’ve succeeded in telling this difficult story about a difficult man. Borten and Wallack also manage to avoid much melodrama and over-the-top theatrics, so the story feels grounded, if somewhat “boring” by today’s Hollywood standards.

Jean-Marc Vallee (The Young Victoria) directs the movie with a near-documentary style that also helps ground the film. His no-thrill camerawork and location shots give the story a needed reality. Vallee also doesn’t let the story apologize for the characters, and the production reflects that philosophy by revealing some harder truths. It’s not always pleasant, but that’s precisely the point. These are not always-pleasant characters in pleasant situations, but Vallee handles the production with a gritty sense of purpose. The result, though, does tend to undermine the production value as the film feels, at times, unpolished. But I credit that more to the style of the storytelling than Vallee’s directorial skills.

Dallas Buyers Club is a small film with an intimate cast of characters but big themes — government corruption, big corporate profits, the blurry lines of morality. Because of a nuanced script and stellar performances by the actors, the movie works. Don’t expect anything life-changing though. In many ways, this is what Oscar-baits look like.

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner, Denis O’Hare, Steve Zahn
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Writers: Craig Borten, Melissa Wallack
Distributor: Focus
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, strong sexual content, nudity, drug use
Running Time: 117 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 7
Performance - 9
Direction - 8
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound - 7
Editing - 8
Production - 7

Total - 7.7 out of 10.0 

Killing Your Darlings

© 2013 Ray Wong

A biopic of sort, Killing Your Darlings, focuses on a murder that draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs.

Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) is a budding poet who is stuck with taking care of his mentally unstable mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh). His father (David Cross), however, encourages him to leave and leave he did — to Columbia University, where he meets fellow aspiring writer Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan). Allen is drawn to Lucien’s colorful, rebellious life that is so unlike his timid, restrictive upbringing. And through the wild Lucien, Allen hooks up with other budding writers such as Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and William Burroughs (Ben Foster). Together they call themselves the New Vision.

Dissatisfied with the status quo and the privileges they enjoy, these four friends dream of breaking the rules and starting a revolution. Allen’s relationship with Lucien is particularly close, complicated by the fact that Allen is attracted to Lucien, while Lucien has an ambiguous friendship with David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall), and older man who seems to appear everywhere Lucien is.

As Allen and Lucien become closer, Allen also becomes jealous of David, as well as confused by his own feelings. His pain and confusion leads to bouts of brilliant creativity that surprises not only himself, but Lucien as well, who has considered Allen “not quite a writer.”  As Lucien and David’s friendship becomes more violent, Allen stands by and watch Lucien distancing himself from their cause, their manifesto, and from Allen.

Life after Harry Potter has been pretty good for Daniel Radcliffe (The Woman in Black) who seems to have defied the “child actor” curse and gone on to do interesting projects. As Ginsberg, Radcliffe has to tackle a wide range of emotions and also the basic conceit that Ginsberg is a closeted gay man in love with his best friend. He’s done a great job with the role, giving us a sympathetic portrayal of a writer on the verge of awakening. Dane DeHaan (The Place Beyond the Pines) has emerged as one of the new brooding, young leading men (think a cross between a young Leonardo DiCaprio and River Phoenix). As the ambiguous, manipulative and temperamental Lucien, DeHaan almost steals the show from the more subdue, nuances of Radcliffe’s understated performance.

Michael C. Hall (Dexter) plays David Kammerer with an intense but also pretentious obsession that at once draws you in and repels you. There is no question that Kammerer is a stalker, but does he deserve how Lucien treats him? Hall gives us a solid performance that makes us question that. Jack Huston (Two Jacks) are charming and handsome as the iconic Jack Kerouac, but he lacks the required edge to pull it off. Ben Foster (Contraband) is fascinating as famed writer William Burroughs; his performance is one of the most memorable in the film.

Co-written by Austin Bunn and director John Krokidas (Sio-Mio), the screenplay is surprising relevant even though it’s a period piece set in 1944. The intellectual dialogue and subtexts could appear pretentious at times, just as the characters could, but both writers reign it in to gound it with the human drama and raw emotions. There is the quality of a play here, what with the play of words and ideas and concepts, as well as the interactions between the characters.

Yet Krokidas introduces interesting visual styles and elements to make this film a visually stimulating piece, instead of a static play about intellectuals saying intellectual things. His characters are first and foremost kids. They may have aspired to be something grand and big and important, but they are still boys. Krokidas’s visual style (and soundtrack) is contemporary and somewhat avant garde. At times his direction seems somewhat too experimental for the material, perhaps pushing the “art” in “art form” a bit too far, but one thing for sure, Kronkidas’ direction is never boring, despite the literary and artsy nature of the material.

As a writer, I thoroughly enjoyed the themes and the nature of this writerly film. As an average moviegoer, I find the plot perhaps somewhat too personal and intimate to have a mass appeal — it may not be a bad thing, after all. This may sound like a gay coming-of-age love story, but in truth Killing Your Darlings is a story about a group of revolutionary writers on the verge of becoming great. If you’re ever interested in the beats generation, go see it, Darling.

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Michael C. Hall, Jack Huston, Ben Foster, David Cross, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Elizabeth Olsen
Director: John Krokidas
Writers: John Krokidas, Austin Bunn 
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, language, drug use and brief violence
Running Time: 104 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 7
Performance - 8
Direction - 8
Cinematography - 8
Music/Sound - 8
Editing - 8
Production - 8

Total - 7.8 out of 10.0 

Captain Phillips

© 2013 Ray Wong

Based on merchant marine Captain Richard Phillips own account, Captain Phillips recounts the fateful events in 2009 when Phillips cargo ship and crew were hijacked by a group of Somali pirates.

Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) is a veteran captain on his route from Oman onboard of the freighter Maersk Alabama. While in the open waters near Africa, four Somali pirates, lead by Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi), go after the ship. Phillips and the crew fend them off the first time, but the next day, when the pirates return, they successfully board the ship. Phillips tells the crew to hide in the engine room while he negotiates with Muse and his men.

The crew manages to capture Muse, but the other men threaten to kill the crew if they don't release Muse. After Phillips hands $30,000 in cash to the pirates, they take a lifeboat to escape and abduct Phillips with them as a hostage.

The navy and a group of SEALS are now on their way to rescue the crew and the ship while the pirates continue to hold Phillips as hostage and demand a ransom. Phillips tell Muse and the other men that they will not get away, but they would not listen but instead threaten to shoot Phillips if he doesn't cooperate. Phillips has to find a way to save himself.

Tom Hanks (The Cloud Atlas) gives one of the strongest, most intense performances of his career as the resourceful, skilled but not well-liked captain. Phillips's no-nonsense, matter-of-fact style doesn't make him popular among his crew, but that's also a reason why HE is the captain. Phillips's decisions and actions are not always the best, but they are seemingly from the clearest of his own conscience. Hanks' portrayal of the character is thoughtful, stoic and human. He doesn't set out to play a "hero." He just plays a guy who is in a dangerous situation and must use everything he's got to save his crew and survive himself.

Newcomer Barkhad Abdi impresses as the pirate leader Muse. His intensity matches the character's ruthlessness, and yet his character has a sensitive and introspective side that makes the character three-dimensional instead of a cliched, stereotypical villain. In fact, both he and Mr. Hanks play their characters so humanly that they, as leads (as a newbie and a veteran actor respectively), help lift this thriller to a much more satisfying level.

Newcomer Barkhad Albidrahman also contributes greatly as Bilal, one of the pirates. The impressive supporting cast also includes Michael Chemus (The Bourne Legacy) as first officer Shane Murphy, Catherine Keener (Enough Said) as Phillips's wife Andrea, and David Warshofsky (Now You See Me) as crew member Mike.

Adapted from Richard Phillips' own account of the event, the screenplay by Billy Ray (The Hunger Games) is taut, suspenseful, and full of thrills and twists and turns. The fast-paced script almost leaves no room for a sigh. From the very first minutes, the story pulls us in and holds us there. It is not a very complicated plot -- men attack ship, men protect ship and themselves, men survive -- but it is written in such a thrilling way that we can't help but wonder what is going happen next, even though we know Phillips and the crew survived the ordeal.

Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) has made a name for himself for his thrilling direction of the Jason Bourne series. Here, he uses similar techniques (fast cuts, handheld cameras, extreme close ups, etc.) to give us a thrill ride that is exciting and breathtaking. Unfortunately, as with the Bourne series, I think Greengrass relies too much on the handheld cameras. Combined with the at-sea adventures (in a small ship, nonetheless), the result can be nauseating to watch. At times I feel seasick myself, having to avert my eyes to calm my nerves. Others may have no problem with the pervasive handheld camera shots. 

That said, Captain Phillips is an exciting thriller with very human characters. It is based on a true story that touches on the issues and problems with globalization and the disparity between the haves and have-nots. Even though we know the pirates are bad, we still sympathize for them because they are only humans who are the products of their own circumstances. None of these people are inherently bad people, and that makes the story more realistic and relatable.

Stars: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Albidrahman, Michael Chemus, Catherine Keener, David Warshofsky

Director: Paul Greengrass

Writers: Billy Ray (based on book by Richard Phillips)

Distributor: Warner Bros.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of menace, violence and substance use

Running Time: 134 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 8

Performance - 8

Direction - 7

Cinematography - 7

Music/Sound - 8

Editing - 8

Production - 8

Total - 7.8 out of 10.0 

Gravity

© 2013 Ray Wong

As science fiction thrillers go, Gravity is a rare treat. It is big in scale and spectacles, but also intimate in terms of human drama.

Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer enlisted by NASA to install an instrument on the Hubble telescope. Accompanying her on the space shuttle Explore is veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), who is doing his final mission before retiring. During one of the procedures, while they're spacewalking, Mission Control (Ed Harris) notifies them that the Russians have demolished one of the Russian satellites, and it has created a chain reaction where debris are heading their way at the speed of bullets.

With little time to change course, the space shuttle and the crew are being bombarded by the debris. Stone gets separated and is spinning out of control into space. With only six month in space training, Stone has no experience in disaster like this. Eventually, Kowalski finds and rescues her. They realize that the Explorer has been destroyed and everyone onboard is dead, and communication with Mission Control is gone. Their only option is to find their way to the Russian space station. As their oxygen is quickly depleting and a new wave of debris is fast approaching, it's a race between life an death.

Sandra Bullock (The Heat) gives one of the strongest performances of her career as Ryan Stone. The story is told almost entirely from her point of view and she carries the film on her shoulders. Bullock's portrayal of the scientist with deep personal regrets combines both brain and heart to make the character believable. Her emotions range from condescension to utter fear and confusion, and she is convincing with her silent resolve and inner strength in the direst situations, when her character is all alone.

George Clooney (The Descendants) also nails it as astronaut Matt Kowalski. He portrays the character as the badass space cowboy with a great sense of humor and humanity. Compared to Bullock, his screen time is relatively limited in this largely supporting and pivotal role. There is one scene where he gives Dr. Stone a lifesaving tip that showcases Clooney's charm, sex appeal and acting versatility.

Written by director Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men) and son Jonás, the screenplay is actually rather bare-bone. The plot is straightforward -- it's simply a story of survival. There are not a whole lot of twists and surprises, and the dialogue may edge on the cliche side. Yet the Cuaróns have crafted a suspenseful thriller nonetheless by stringing a chain of events that never leaves Dr. Stone. The events are larger than life with the vast backdrop of space and Earth, and yet the story is surprisingly intimate as we delve into Stone's mind and heart as she tries to survive the unimaginable with little time to mourn.

While the screenplay may be the weakest link, the rest is purely spectacular. Cuarón's attention to details and how he stages the actions and events and space are jaw-dropping. The special effects are stunning, and the action sequences actually pull the audience in, rarely letting go. With the deft use of close ups, reflections, and long shots, he has created a poetic rendering of disasters in space, and that is unlike anything I've seen since, perhaps, yet another disaster movie, Titanic. Cuarón's intense direction, paired with Bullock's and Clooney's impeccable performances, has created an all-immersive experience that is both spectacular and intimate. He has pushed the cinematic envelope further by using all the dazzling technologies and special effects to tell a very human story. Such gravity for a "popcorn" sci-fi thriller!

Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Writers: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón
Distributor: Warner Bros.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense perilous sequences, disturbing images and language
Running Time: 90 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 8
Performance - 8
Direction - 9
Cinematography - 10
Music/Sound - 9
Editing - 8
Production - 10

Total - 8.3 out of 10.0 

Don Jon

© 2013 Ray Wong

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has, over the years, matured as an actor and a thinking-woman's sex symbol. Now with his writing and directorial debut, he has grown as a filmmaker as well.

Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), known as Don Jon to his friend, is your regular good guy. Typical for his Italian heritage, Jon is devoted to his life, his family, his church, and his friends. He is also quite a player, and is addicted to pornography. Even though he has no trouble hooking up with beautiful women, he could only "lose himself" with porn. Yet when he meets sexy, beautiful Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), he realizes that he could fall in love and everything could change.

Well, not quite. Even though he really adores Barbara, he is not convinced that anything has changed. Also Barbara wants Jon to improve himself, so he enrolls in adult classes. His friends are puzzled by his changes, but his parents are delighted that Jon is finally settling down. And yet Jon doesn't seem all that happy after all. He is still often angry; and he is still addicted to porn. Only now he is more secretive about it as Barbara forbids him.

At his class, he meets an older woman named Esther (Julianne Moore) who seems to have a crush for Jon. Annoyed by her approach, he tries to avoid her but somehow finds her mysterious and alluring at the same time. Meanwhile at home, his relationship with Barbara explodes when she discovers that he has been lying about watching porn.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Loopers) is a solid actor who has been stuck with lighter roles until recently. He wrote, directed and acted in this movie so it seems that he has complete control of the character and the story, and it shows. His acting is confident, natural (if not a bit overly aggressive), and sexy. Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers) also plays against type as the sexy, manipulative Barbara. Together they make a good pair and play off each other nicely.

Julianne Moore (Being Flynn) also turns in a great performance as Esther, the lonesome "strange" classmate who has a crush on Jon. Moore's subtlety gives the character an extra layer of truth that slowly reveals how the character plays a role in Jon's life. The supporting cast does their job effectively. Tony Danza (Crash) is somewhat over the top as Jon's hot-tempered father. Glenne Headly (The Joneses) is delightful as Jon's mother, and Brie Larson (Short Term 12) has only two lines but delivers them with amazing insight.

Gordon-Levitt's screenplay is quirky (it reminds me of (500) Days of Summer, also starring Gordon-Levitt himself), bald and raunchy. He doesn't shy away from the bald theme of sex, which earns the film a much deserved R rating. Granted, his version of the "straight male" is somewhat cliched and stereotypical: Don Jon is all machismo. There is no subtlety in that characterization; fortunately Gordon-Levitt gives the character a softer, more boyish inner core -- that this man just want to love and be loved like everybody else. The dialogue can be somewhat stiff and blunt, and the introduction of Esther seems forced. However, this being his first screenplay I find it rather well done. It is short and to the point, and often amusing.

His direction is also blunt and to the point. The style is very contemporary and non-apologetic. He uses repetition to depict Jon's inner self and the symbolism is well placed. The pacing is great and the tone is right. The film does get somewhat somber and serious near the end that seems slightly out of sync with the rest, but soon it picks up again.

Gordon-Levitt first filmmaking effort pays off. Although not on a grand scale, this should further establish him as a solid filmmaker and an emerging force in young Hollywood, which is in dire need for fresh breaths.

Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson, Rob Brown, Jeremy Luke
Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Writer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Distributor: Relativity Media
MPAA Rating: R for strong graphic sexual material, dialogue, language and drug use
Running Time: 90 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 7
Performance - 8
Direction - 7
Cinematography - 8
Music/Sound - 7
Editing - 7
Production - 7

Total - 7.7 out of 10.0 

Prisoners

© 2013 Ray Wong

Prisoners is not your normal everyday Hollywood mystery-suspense. Using a kidnapping case as the backbone of the story, it examines complex themes such as family, morality, and to some extent, religion.

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is a religious man, but he's also a practical man, always ready for the worst disasters. He and his wife Grace (Maria Bello), teenage son Ralph (Dylan Minnette) and young daughter Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) live in a Pennsylvania suburb and are good friends with neighbors Franklin (Terrence Howard), Nancy (Viola Davis) and their two daughters (Eliza and Joy). After Thanksgiving dinner, Anna and Joy go outside to play but they never return.The family's search leads them to an RV that was parked in the neighborhood earlier.

Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is assigned to the case. He arrests Alex Jones (Paul Dana), the driver of the RV, as a potential suspect, but due to the lack of physical evidence and the fact that Alex has the IQ of a 10-year-old, Loki has no choice but let Alex go. Infuriated and convinced that Alex is involved in the kidnapping, Keller decides to take matters in his own hands. He abducts Alex and locks him in an abandoned apartment building. He coerces reluctant Franklin to help him interrogate Alex. Also a religious man, Franklin believes what Keller is doing is wrong, and eventually he drops out, forcing Keller to deal with Alex on his own.

Meanwhile, Loki's investigation leads him to a priest who is hiding a dead body in his basement, and a recluse who buys children clothing at a thrift store. It also leads him back to Keller, whose odd behavior puzzles Loki as Alex has somehow disappeared.

Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine) has sharpened his dramatic skills in the past few years, earning his first Oscar nomination in Les Miserables. Here, Jackman plays the conflicted man -- a man of faith who is also desperate to find his daughter -- with great intensity and power. His character is the most complex and difficult in the movie, and he does a good job. Jake Gyllenhaal (End of Watch) plays a simpler character named Loki -- a dedicated, introspective detective. Yet Gyllenhaal plays the character with a depth and sensitivity that defy the stereotype. What could have been a cliched "detective" character turns into a very human character in Gyllenhaal's sensitive portrayal.

Other than the two leading men, the supporting cast is extraordinarily strong. Viola Davis (Beautiful Creatures) and Maria Bello (Grown Ups 2) play the grieving mothers with heartbreaking intensity. Terrence Howard (The Butler) is also good as the meek Franklin, whose sense of morality conflicts with his dire effort to find his daughter. Paul Dano (Ruby Sparks) is superb as Alex Jones, and Melissa Leo (Olympus Has Fallen) is also solid as his aunt Holly.

Aaron Guzikowski's (Contraband) screenplay is taut and suspenseful. It follows familiar suspense-mystery footprints, but at the same time deviates to examine something more disturbing. What is right and what is wrong? In the name of justice and personal anguish, is "torture" right? Guziknowski doesn't provide the answer, but through the character Keller, there are plenty of questions that he raises to provoke us. He also taps into one of the biggest, most unimaginable fears of any parent: losing a child in insidious situations.

As a mystery, there are plenty of obligatory red herrings and wild goose chases, some of which could become tedious and predictable for the avid mystery fans. For everybody else, however, the puzzles are well thought-out, if somewhat manipulative, and it's a fun thing to connect the dots and see if the audience gets it before the Keller or Loki does. As in the any mystery, the clues are there and they are doled out gradually to lure the audience in and keep them in the story. Some of the clues and connections do seem rather contrived, however.

But Denis Villeneuve's (Incendies) direction keeps everything tight together. His style is gritty and gloomy, perfectly supported by Pennsylvania's winter landscape. The pacing is right except for a few slow spots (at 153 minutes the movie does feel a little too long). Villeneuve plays it close to his vest, often cutting away and letting the audience take their guesses or make their own conclusions. The technique works beautifully. He also slows down enough to develop the characters and let the actors bring their characters and relationships to life. I appreciate that. The slower pace also allows the audience to collect the clues and piece it all together. The downside is, of course, the astute audience could be a step ahead of the story. The payoff, however, is excellent.

Prisoners is a moody, suspenseful and skillfully crafted drama that is both entertaining and thought provoking. Even though there are familiar mystery and suspense trappings and manipulations, I think the audience will be willing to become prisoners in the theater for this movie for 153 minutes.

Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Dylan Minnette
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writer: Aaron Guzikowski
Distributor: Warner Bros.
MPAA Rating: R for disturbing violent content including torture, and language
Running Time: 153 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 8
Performance - 8
Direction - 8
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound - 7
Editing - 8
Production - 8

Total - 7.9 out of 10.0 

The Butler

The Butler

Director Lee Daniels became a household name with his critically acclaimed film Precious. With The Butler, which is loosely based on the life of real-life White House butler Eugene Allen, Daniels also focuses on the plight of one African-American individual with the civil rights movement as his backdrop.

Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker; with Michael Rainey Jr playing young Cecil) is the son of a cotton farm worker (David Banner). After an incident that results in Cecil's father being shot dead, Cecil is taken in by the estate's caretaker (Vanessa Redgrave) and becomes a servant. Throughout the years, Cecil advances in the career as a black servant. Meanwhile, he meets the love of his life, Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), and together they have two sons, Louis (David Oyelowo) and Charlie (Elijah Kelly).

Through a series of events, Cecil is hired to become a butler at the White House during the Eisenhower (Robin Williams) administration. Under the supervision of head butler Carter Wilson (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Cecil begins to blossom. As he focuses more and more on his job, his home life with Gloria and his sons, especially Louis, suffers. After Louis goes off to college as Fisk, he joins a student group and eventually drops out of school and become actively involved in the civil rights movement. This puts a huge strain on his relationship with Cecil, who pride himself as someone who serves his Presidents and country, not fight against them.

Cecil and Louis become estranged, and Gloria turns to the bottle as their family falls apart. Meanwhile, the civil rights movement heats up, and Cecil secretly fears of his son's safety. While having all the insider knowledge, Cecil feels like an outsider as he has no voice, and his loyalty to his employer is at odds with what he feels is right for his people. All this comes to a head during the Reagan administration, and Cecil has a decision to make.

Forest Whitaker (The Last Stand) has always been a solid, fantastic, understated actor. In the role of  Cecil Gaines, Whitaker exercises his restraint and grace and personifies the butler with dignity and a constant sense of conflict and struggle. Whitaker should be commended for his subtle portrayal, never rising above a certain level of camp and overt drama.

Oprah Winfrey (Beloved) once again reminds us that she is first and foremost an actress, not just a personality. While perhaps not the greatest actress alive, Winfrey holds her own next to Whitaker, and her portrayal of a conflicted wife and mother is affecting. David Oyelowo (Lincoln) is also excellent as Cecil's deviant, headstrong son who is so idealistic that sometimes you want to smack him in the head, while admiring his courage and conviction.

The supporting cast is like a who's who in modern black film history. Mariah Carey (Precious) proves that Precious was no fluke for her, and we can all forget about the atrocious Glitters. Cuba Gooding Jr. (Don Jon) is somewhat typecast as the sassymouthed Carter, but Lenny Kravitz (The Hunger Games) is the strong, silent type as fellow butler James. Terrence Howard (Dead Man Down) is also solid as Cecil's philandering neighbor, who carries on a brief affair with Gloria.

The Presidents and their wives are also a who's who list of veteran actors: Robin Williams as Eisenhower, John Cusack as Nixon, James Marsden as Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as LBJ, and Alan Rickman and Jane Fonda as Ronald and Nancy Reagan respectively.

While the acting in general is good, I feel that the screenplay by Danny Strong (The Hunger Games), and Daniels' direction are rather heavy-handed when it comes to the civil rights movement, as if they want to cover as much ground as possible. What comes off is a more like a history lesson than drama, and at times I feel that the material strains to be relevant in parallel to Cecil's life story. Also, the drama is now shifted from Cecil's fascinating career as a White House butler (we yearn to see more interactions and insider drama with the Presidents, the First Ladies and the White House staff) to street drama of violence and injustice.

Don't get me wrong, black history is important and this serves as a good reflection of what African-Americans had to endure in the past 50 years, long after Americans fought in the Civil War. Still, as a drama, the backdrop history takes center stage. At times I feel that Louis Gaines is the true protagonist of this story, as Cecil is by and large passive and reactive. And yet we don't get the full scope of Louis's story either. So what we can is a hybrid that feels more like a lesson in Black History (and a who's who list of Black leaders) than a biopic. At the end, I wasn't moved because the story feels too preachy and academic, instead of personal and intimate.

Stars: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Redgrave, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Terrence Howard
Director: Lee Daniels
Writers: Danny Strong (based on Wil Haygood's article)
Distributor: Wienstein Company
MPAA Rating:  PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, language, sexual content and thematic material
Running Time: 132 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 6
Performance - 8
Direction - 7
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound - 8
Editing - 7
Production - 7

Total - 7.5 out of 10.0 

Short Term 12

© 2013 Ray Wong

While semi-biographical based on writer-director Destin Cretton's own experience, Short Term 12 is an intimate drama that deals with the psychological problems of the troubled kids as well as their caretakers.

Grace (Brie Karson) and Mason (John Gallagher Jr) help run a foster care facility for troubled kids called Short Term 12 -- most kids stay there for less than 12 months, even though there are exceptions such as Marcus (Keith Stanfield) who has been there for three years. Grace and Mason also are secretly dating. When Grace finds out she's pregnant, she has a tough time deciding whether to keep the baby (and tell Mason) or do what she thinks is right as she believes she would make a terrible mother.

Grace and Mason also both came from broken homes. Mason himself grew up in a foster home, and Grace was sexually abused by her father, who is now safe behind bars.  But Grace never really deals with her trauma and she keeps everything inside. Mason, on the other, says whatever is on his mind.

When a new girl named Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) arrives at the facility, she invokes the maternal instinct within Grace. Also Jayden's background reminds Grace of her own, and she suspects that Jayden, too, has been abused by her father. Yet Grace has no proof, and in frustration, Grace lashes out on Mason. In light of their conflict, Grace further believes that she is unlovable and unsuitable to be a mother.

The assemble cast focuses on two leads: Brie Larson (Don Jon) as Grace and John Gallagher Jr. (Newsroom) as Mason. The pair has tremendous chemistry together. Larson is the silent, strong but kind type of girl next door that you can't help but have feelings for. And Gallagher plays the goofy, relaxed Mason with strong conviction and his affection for Grace is palpable. You can't help but root for the pair as they are fundamentally good people with a lot of baggage but not by their own wrongdoing. And they are there to help the kids to cope with similar problems (many troubled kids come from broken homes and child abuse).

Kaitlyn Dever (The Spectacular Now) plays the moody, antisocial Jayden perfectly with both spunk and vulnerability. Stephanie Beatriz (Southland) and Rami Malek (The Master) play the other two workers effectively. Keith Stanfield (Short Term 12) stands out as Marcus, a brooding 18-year-old whose imminent departure from Short Term 12 creates much internal turmoil.

Based on his own experiences and his same-titled short film, the screenplay extends the drama of the foster care facility to include a core romance between the two leads. The result is a much more multi-layered drama that only examines and sheds light on the troubled kids, but also the aftermath of these problems even as adults. While Mason seems rather well adjusted (basically because he grew up with great foster parents), Grace continues to struggle even though she puts up a strong front.

Cretton's screenplay and direction are both intimate and personal, and packed with emotional punches. His down to earth and casual style also adds to the material as there is a certain documentary feel to it. Granted, at times the shaky handheld camera shots made me nauseous. That and the occasional heavy-handedness of the plot and message are my only gripes. Certain parts (especially with regard to Jayden's history) seems too obvious and contrived.

Still, the production is realistic and full of genuine emotions. You simply cannot peel your eyes away from these characters and  you feel deeply for them. Technically the movie feels like an indie, but that's part of its charm. It's not a glossy Hollywood production. With stellar performances from the young actors and the director's keen, personal eye on the material, Short Term 12 is worthy of our increasingly short-term attention.

Stars: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Stephanie Beatriz, Rami Malek, Keith Stanfield
Director: Destin Cretton
Writers: Destin Cretton
Distributor: Universal
MPAA Rating:  R for language and brief sexuality
Running Time: 96 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 8
Performance - 8
Direction - 7
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound - 7
Editing - 7
Production - 7

Total - 7.8 out of 10.0 

The Spectacular Now

© 2013 Ray Wong

Coming of age movies are hot now, especially ones that have the pedigree of being adapted from a popular novel, such as last year's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Tim Tharp's The Spectacular Now rather falls in the same category but with an utterly different protagonist and a central love story that is both sweet and haunting.

Sutter (Miles Teller) is a popular teenager who strives to live in the moment without plan thoughts on his future. A senior, he hasn't even applied for college yet and has no idea whether he would even graduate high school. But life is good with girlfriend Cassidy (Brie Larson) until a misunderstanding gives her a reason to break up with him and hook up with class president Ricky (Masam Holden).

Distraught, Sutter gets drunk and meets Aimee (Shailene Woodley) a sweet but average girl who goes to the same school as Sutter. Normally Sutter would not even look at someone like Aimee, but being in a tough spot of having just been dumped, Sutter becomes intrigued by Aimee, who is unlike any girl he's ever known. His strange urge to want to help Aimee come out of her shell eventually turns into affection for her -- she is, of course, already smitten with the popular yet previously unavailable Sutter.

But a rebound cannot end well. Sutter knows that and believes Aimee will forget about him soon enough. As Aimee falls deeper and deeper in love with him, Sutter becomes frightened of his own deepening feelings for the girl, and he starts to avoid her. At home, Sutter is also dealing with his own demon, a desire to try to locate and find his father (Kyle Chandler), who has abandoned the family since Sutter was a very young boy. To know who he is, Sutter desperately needs to know his father, as he's convinced that he is his father's son.

Miles Teller (Footloose) first burst into the business with his outstanding role in Rabbit Hole. Reminding us of a young Shia LaBeouf, Teller is a strong talent. He plays the complicated Sutter with an internal sweetness that we can't stop rooting for him even though he often acts like an irresponsible jerk. Sutter handles his aloof scenes just as well as he did with his emotional ones. Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) was amazing in the Descendants. Here, she plays an utterly different character as the sweet, naive, smart but passive Aimee who is smitten with a boy who is not good for her.

Brie Larson (Don Jon) is sparkly and beautiful as Cassidy, the objective of Sutter's affection. Masan Holden (Forgotten Pills) has a brief but effective role as Sutter's best friend. By far the most recognizable stars of the movie are Kyle Chandler (Zero Dark Thirty) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Moment) as Sutter's estranged parents.

Adapted by Scott Neustadter ((500) Days of Summer) and Michael H. Webber ((500) Days of Summer), the screenplay stays true to the tone and dialogue of Tharp's YA novel. Neustadter and Webber are no strangers to stories about young love, and they deliver the central love story between Sutter and Aimee with great realism and sensibility. We have a feeling that Sutter is on a rebound and that Aimee should not fall in love with him and get hurt, and yet we also root for them to find themselves as they are good for each other (well, not all the time). The writers handle the "bad boy/good girl" story with delicate balance without being cliched and overwrought. The back and forth dance between the two leads is interesting to watch.

That said, the screenplay is not without flaws. The references to alcoholism and the reveal of Sutter's father are rather heavy-handed. The "father issue" subplot also feels somewhat out of place, even though it helps explain Sutter's character and his eventual awakening. Still, the subplot at times feels like a different movie, and would have benefited with more screen time and development for Chandler's and Leigh's characters.

Still, under James Pondsoldt's (Smashed) deft direction, the movie has a down to earth quality to it that grounds the sometimes obnoxious characters and storyline. Pondsoldt understands the material, and he keeps it real for the better part of the movie. The result is a likable summer sleeper about teen love and growing up. It may not be the most spectacular thing you see this summer, but go see it NOW anyway.

Stars: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Masam Holden, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Director: James Ponsoldt
Writers: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber (based on novel by Tim Tharp)
Distributor: A24
MPAA Rating:  R for alcohol use, language and some sexuality involving teens
Running Time: 95 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 8
Performance - 8
Direction - 7
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound - 8
Editing - 7
Production - 8

Total - 7.8 out of 10.0 

Elysium

© 2013 Ray Wong

Neill Blomkamp burst into Hollywood with his groundbreaking South African sci-fi drama District 9. This is his big budget Hollywood follow-up and the result is not as impressive as I hoped.

In the year 2154, Earth has become polluted and overpopulated. The rich and privileged have built a paradise on a space station called Elysium, where advanced technology helps keep them healthy and safe. Back on Earth, ex-convict Max (Matt Damon) has been working nonstop to save up for his trip to Elysium. That has been his dream since childhood, and he is determined to go there. An incident at work exposes Max to a high dosage of radiation, and he has only about five days to live.

Max needs to go to Elysium now so he can get healed, but he doesn't have enough to buy a black market ticket. So he volunteers to do a job for an underground op Spider (Wagner Moura), who wants to kidnap an Elysium citizen (William Fitchner) and download secrets from his brain. Spider outfits Max with a body army and a team to carry out the mission, but something goes wrong with Elysium Security Officer Delacourt (Jodie Foster) sends a mercenary named Kruger (Sharlto Copley) to hunt Max down.

When Max gets seriously injured, he seeks help from his childhood sweetheart Frey (Alice Braga) who is now a nurse. Alice needs to take her daughter to Elysium, too, as she has late stage Leukemia. Max promises Frey to take them there. Once they get there, Max realizes his mission is bigger than he thought, and he must decide what to do.

Matt Damon (Behind the Candelabra) is no stranger to playing down-and-out action heroes, as he did in the Bourne series. Here, Damon achieves a new level of grunge and toughness, further establishing him as one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. Granted, this is not one of the best-developed characters that Damon has played, but he's done his best bringing the humanity to the role. Jodie Foster (Carnage) has surprisingly limited screen time playing a corporate snake as Delacourt, but her role is two one-dimensional to make any real impression. Her arc also doesn't seem fully developed, and that leaves me wanting more.

Sharlto Copley (District 9) teams up with Blomkamp again and plays a very different character this time: a mad man who is out for blood. Copley has the movie's most flamboyant and outrageous character and he gives it his all. Alice Braga (On the Road) is beautiful and sweet as Frey but she, too, has very limited scope to play her character.

The supporting cast includes Wagner Moura (Father's Chair) with an over-the-top performance as Spider; William Fitchner (The Lone Ranger) doing his best as a dispassionate Elysium billionaire, and Diego Luna (Contraband) in a gentle turn as Max's friend Julio.

Blomkamp's screenplay has some neat new concepts and builds on his usual social commentary about the rich vs. the poor. The high concept ideas sound great on paper, but seem to get lost in the execution as it is more complicated than what the story requires.  The plot turns out to be a more standard "man saves the world" one with a lot of Hollywood action and violence, but not enough suspense and mystery.  Also, I feel that the character development and arc are not up to par with what Blomkamp has done before. What made District 9 so good was not only the structure, social commentary and the wicked ending, but also how the character develops throughout the story. I feel that is what is significantly lacking in this one.

The direction is adequate. It has all the standard Hollywood action adventure, sci-fi trimmings. Special effects are great. The world that Blomkamp has built is similar to that in District 9 and it works. The design and rendering of Elysium is also astounding. Production value is pretty good. The action violence can be over the top at times, with lots of exploding body parts and gore. I think they are necessary, to have a point, if only the story is stronger.

I think Elysium is a decent attempt as a follow-up for Blomkamp, but can't help but feel rather disappointed by the writing and execution. I don't mean that he has sold out to Hollywood, but it seems that he's more interested in the entertainment value here than what he has to say.

Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, William Fitchner, Wagner Moura. Diego Luna
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Writer: Neill Blomkamp
Distributor: Sony
MPAA Rating:  R for strong violence and language
Running Time: 109 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 7
Performance - 7
Direction - 7
Cinematography - 8
Music/Sound - 7
Editing - 8
Production - 8

Total - 7.5 out of 10.0 

Blue Jasmine

© 2013 Ray Wong

For me, Woody Allen is often a hit or miss. He's usually better when he's only directing and not acting in his films. With Blue Jasmine, Allen stays out of the spotlight, which shines primarily on Cate Blanchett. That's a great call.

Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) has lost everything. The wife of wealthy investment banker Hal (Alec Baldwin), she has a nervous breakdown after Hal was arrested for running a Ponzi scheme. She gets better, and with the little possession and money she has, she flies from the Hamptons to San Francisco (via first class, no less) to stay with her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) hoping to start over again.

At the core, Jasmine is a snotty elitist who rides on her good looks and good taste, and she has no patience for anyone who she deems "losers," such as Ginger's ex-husband Augie (Andrew Dice Clay). And yet she clings to Jasmine as she is her last hope to survive, even though she doesn't really think much of her adoptive sister or her new beau (Bobby Cannavale) and friends.

Trying to start her life over again, she becomes a receptionist for a dentist while taking computer classes so she can eventually take online classes to become an interior designer. Her plans are deterred when she meets dashing widower Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard). However, Jasmine's troubled past, her mental instability and narrow world view soon threatens her new-found happiness.

Cate Blanchett (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) is absolutely stunning and amazing as Jasmine. The movie rests squarely on her shoulders and she delivers a tour-de-force performance as the layered, fragile, but snooty Jasmine. Her range is stunning and the layers she's brought to this shallow, obnoxiously elitist character is incredibly subtle and nuanced, and yet affecting and mesmerizing. You don't want to like her character, but you can't help but want her to find happiness, and it's heartbreaking to watch. Blanchett is haunting to watch. This is truly Blanchett's show.

The supporting cast does a fine job matching Blanchett's superb performance with some exceptions. Alec Baldwin (Rock of Ages) is in excellent form playing a scoundrel; however, it seems that he's channeling his character in 30 Rock. Sally Hawkins (Great Expectations) is also wonderful as Ginger, a very down-to-Earth, likable character that is a complete opposite of Jasmine.

Andrew Dice Clay (Whatever It Takes) stands out like a sore thumb, however, among his fellow veteran actors. Even though he fits the character perfectly, Clay simply doesn't have the acting chops to match the stellar performances of his colleague. Bobby Cannavale (Lovelace) somehow turns his caricature goofy Italian loser into a likable, three dimensional character. Peter Sarsgaard (Lovelace) also turns in a good performance as the love-sick puppy who wants to marry a hot mess.

The screenplay by Allen (Midnight in Paris) is not his strongest, which is riddled with quite a bit of stereotypes and cliches. In fact, without the actors' excellent performances, the characters all sound familiar and cliched on paper. The situations also lack Allen's usual sarcastic, humorous wit. Instead often I feel that he's going for the obvious, cheap laughs but creating quirky and absurd characters that border on being human cartoons. If not for the strong anchor of actors such as Blanchett and Baldwin to hold it down, the story seems to fizzle and is rough on the edges.

Allen's direction also seem to lack a certain finesse that we saw in his recent films. There's a certain low-budget feel to this movie. I am sure Allen didn't work with a budget of hundreds of millions, but compared to the production value of Midnight in Paris, this movie looks cheap (except for the New York and Hamptons sets, of course).

Despite my indifference of Woody Allen's inconsistency, I actually did enjoy the movie mostly because of the actor, led by a stupendous Blanchett. If you're a fan of Blanchett or Allen, you wouldn't be disappointed. 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Sally Hawkins, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Max Casella, Peter Sarsgaard
Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Distributor: Sony Classics
MPAA Rating:  PG-13 for mature thematic material, language and sexual content
Running Time: 98 minutes

Ratings:

Script - 7
Performance - 8
Direction - 7
Cinematography - 8
Music/Sound - 7
Editing - 7
Production - 7

Total - 7.3 out of 10.0